Pseudo
by KeedaxEmry
Summary: Roxas lands himself with an incredibly annoying college roommate. Bad luck? He already has enough on his plate with his overenthusiastic gay brother and his superficial parents.
1. Syllabus Week

I'm holding onto hope that freshman year is automatically the worst two semesters you'll have to endure in college. It has to be, right? You're adjusting, feeling homesick, you don't know anyone, you gain weight (something I don't have to worry about, with my metabolism). ..and, of course, you don't choose your roommate. It's a great idea to shove two random guys, with different majors, different ages, into a tiny dorm room and expect them to get along perfectly. The senior can help the freshman. Or he can, you know, let the new kid get lost several times, and clog the shower drain with his ridiculously long hair.

Seriously, what kind of guy has hair long enough that it can be pulled back into a ponytail with no effort?

"The rules are no room switches without reasonable cause. And, if you had bothered to look at the handbook, you would see that room change requests are not taken until September 22nd."

The man sitting in front of me scowled. He had strange blue hair and a scar on his face I was trying to ignore. I had walked down to the Housing Department building early the first Saturday at my new school to demand a room change, or at least a new roommate. This stupid secretary named Mr. Saix had been all glares and rules.

"He's a public nuisance!" I continued. "If I could—"

"Has he violated any rules?"

What is it with this guy and rules! "He's too loud, you can hear him down the hallway!"

"As long as it is within the hours allowed, there is no problem."

"He—"

"Rick—"

"My name is _Roxas_," I gritted my teeth.

"Roxas," he corrected his face as uncaring as ever. "I'm afraid there's nothing we can do."

"Can you ask the head of the department? Or..uhh….the president of the university?"

"Mr. Xemnas is a very busy man. If you would excuse me." He was back to typing something on the computer.

What a waste of time.

I took the long way back to my room, trudging down the sidewalks. The campus was beautiful and pretty large; everywhere I looked there was grass, large trees, and sophisticated brick buildings. No one was around, considering it was before noon on the weekend. I sighed, filling my lungs with fresh air, and tried to come up with a new solution.

While busy with this problem, I realized too late that I must have gone the wrong way and had no clue where I was. Shit, not again.

I looped back, cursing under my breath. This place was too unfamiliar still and—

Wait! The art building! I recognized it from my Intro to Art class and the weird, twisted metal sculptures in the front.

I was back on track and five minutes later I was sliding my room key out of my pocket and slipping back into my personal hell.

My roommate was still asleep with just a tuff of red hair visible under his black comforter. My shoes were thrown off as I surveyed the place; my bed was neatly made, the black-and-white checkered blanket perfectly smooth. My desk was empty save for my laptop, and a few Post-Its my little brother had hidden in places when I moved in. I kept finding them in random places—the mirror, the wall, under my chair—and kept ripping them off in embarrassment. They now lay in a sad pile, exclaiming things up at me like "You'll do great!" and "I'm miss you, Roxie!", which was right on top. I was booting my computer up when I heard a, "Good morning, Roxie."

And there was six feet of annoyance behind me. He was grinning, his green eyes lit up at how funny he found my nickname, surely.

I grabbed the Post-Its and shoved them in one of the desk drawers. "Don't call me that."

"Why not?" he beamed, sauntering over to his coffee machine. It was on his dresser, right next to his TV and Xbox.

I didn't offer an answer, and just opened my email. Of course, there was something from Sora. I read it while that idiot hummed and filled the air with the smell of coffee—disgusting.

_Hi Roxie!_

_Did I tell you I already love being a senior in high school?! Cause I do! Even though I miss you a lot!_

_So I was thinking I could come visit next weekend? You'd have to fill out paperwork, I think. I'll drive up Friday after school and leave Sunday afternoon. Mom is gonna let me drive all by myself! I am seventeen now, but it does make me a little nervous._

_How are your classes?! You forgot to call me!_

_Call me!_

_Also, I don't understand all these texts you've sent. Surely Axel isn't all that bad? He seems great to me! And he has an Xbox!_

_Thanks for leaving yours here. I have not been playing it every day. *wink wink*_

_Love from Sora :)_

I was about to send a vicious reply about my unbearable roommate when said person tried talking to me.

"Yo, Roxas."

"What, no more Roxie?" I stared at him. Axel was curled up on the floor, nursing a mug of coffee like it gave him life.

"Oh, you _want_ me to call you that? No problem, Roxie!"

He's gonna be dead before this semester ends. "What do you want?" I sighed.

"I heard that you're a nerd."

"Oh?" I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah! They have clubs for you right? You should join one."

"It'd be better than joining your fraternity."

"For the last time, I am not in a fraternity, technically. I just hang out with them."

"And get trashed the first week?" I snorted.

"It's syllabus week!" he defended. "Anyway, my point is, you're good at math right?"

"Why?"

"I need to pass statistics."

"Go to tutoring."

"They don't help at all!"

"Have you actually gone?"

"A few times! Really, if I don't pass this time, I won't graduate!"

"Sucks to be you."

"Please!" He set the mug down, crawling towards me, his hands together. His red hair was jetting out in every which way, his green eyes staring right into my blue ones. "I'm begging you."

"I…I noticed." My cold demeanor faulted slightly when he grabbed my hands with his. They were warm against mine—and jesus he was actually begging here.

"Please, Roxas? I'll clean the shower drain every day!"

"Can't you ask someone else?"

"But I know you're good at math and we live together! It'd be so easy!"

"Well…" Remembering that he was still holding onto me, I shook him off. "What's your major?"

"Criminology! And yours is…uh.." Axel's face scrunched up in thought.

"English."

"Oh shit, does that mean you suck at math? I was sure—"

"I couldn't decide on a major and I like reading," I half confessed.

I could tell he was biting back a nerd remark, but he just spat out another "please" instead.

"Fine, fine!" I gave. "But you'd better clean the shower drain."

"I will! Thanks, Roxie!" He grabbed me in a tight, two second hug, and bounded like a puppy to the shower. Which he forgot to clean afterwards.

xXxXxXx

The image of pulling long red strands out of the drain haunted me still while I sat in my art class. My class schedule was mostly liberal studies at this point, and would be more focused on my major next year.

This class was big and could be better described as art history than actual art. We hadn't been drawing or anything, just sitting in this lecture room staring at an erratic balding man as he ranted about boring things that I never paid attention to. I was sneaking a peek at my phone when the room suddenly got loud and the screeches of chair legs on the floor filled my ears. I panicked, glancing around. What had I missed? Everyone was getting in pairs, oh sh—

"Do you want to work together?" A quiet voice asked.

A petite girl stood in front of me. She was wearing girly clothing that hugged her curves, and her blonde hair fell around her childish face. Clutching a notebook, she gave me a tiny smile.

"Sure," I said graciously.

She tucked herself into the seat next to me, clearly shy and barely making eye contact. I wonder how she managed to talk to me in the first place.

"I'm Roxas," I introduced.

"I'm Naminé."

"So, I have no idea what's going on."

She gave me a funny look. "We're supposed to discuss the homework."

"..homework. Right."

Naminé gave a tiny giggle; she was kinda cute. "Over the weekend, we were supposed to brainstorm about what art is and what it means to us and what it might mean to different people."

"Uh..art is pretty?"

She moved her notebook slightly and I caught glimpse of TWO WHOLE PAGES crammed with words on the subject! I gawked, and she quickly said, "I'm an art major. I love this stuff."

"Oh right," I said lamely. "I'm English. I mean, an English major." I blushed. Was I actually getting a crush on this tiny art girl?

"Cool." She showed me her notes and I nodded along, my mind racing. A crush this quickly? I had never liked anyone—I was a bit of a loner, and I was excited on the prospect. And, to be completely honest, I always had a slight suspicion that I was gay. For a short time, I would look at guys during my "alone time" but that was pushed aside for….for reasons. I'm just not into giant boobs, I reasoned, and Naminé's chest was barely noticeable under all those clothes. Perfect!

Wait, Roxas, you just met her!

Well, still, crush or not, she could be my first friend here.

"Roxas?"

"Yes!" Gosh I need to pay attention.

"What do you think?"

"About art? Not much, honestly."

She laughed. "I should probably get back to my seat."

"You can sit here next time if you want," I offered.

"Sure," she smiled, standing up. There was an awkward pause. "Do you.."

I took out my phone. "Number?" I grinned.

Naminé was relieved, and we exchanged numbers.

After class, I stopped at one of the food courts on campus and used my meal plan to get a salad. Axel was in the room, watching TV and eating pizza.

"Wow, you're healthy!" he eyeballed my salad.

"My nutrition class makes me feel guilty." I started stabbing my meal with a fork.

"I have exciting news!" he whipped out a paper.

"What's that?"

"Stat homework!"

Oh right. I forgot about that. I just nodded, dry lettuce scratching my throat on its way down.

Axel tucked it away. "You'll still help right?"

"Maybe."

"Maybe?!"

"You didn't clean the shower drain!"

"Oh," his face fell. "Next time I will! Got it memorized?"

"Hopefully you do," I grumbled. What's up with that weird catchphrase? He had probably used it five times in the past week. My phone buzzed with a text from Naminé.

_Hey Roxas._

I responded with a simple hey as Axel rattled about math or something.

_Maybe we could go somewhere this weekend?_

I flushed, and Axel's eyes went from my cheeks to my phone and back again. "Who's that?" he asked suspiciously.

"No one!" I shoved my phone in my pocket.

A grin. "Your girlfriend?"

"No!"

"Boyfriend?"

"No!"

"Crush?"

"Stop, Axel." I got up, dumping my mostly finished lunch in the trashcan. He bounced up like a little kid.

"I want to see!"

"No!" He was grabbing at my pocket and I danced away. See why I complain about him so much? Mortified, I bolted to the bathroom and locked myself inside.

"Roxieeeeee," he whined outside the door.

"Go away."

Laughter. Then, "I was just kidding. And you can talk to your roomie about anything! I can give you sex tips."

No sex tips. I had never even kissed anyone.

I heard him trot away to the TV, and I sent Naminé a text saying we could go to this frozen yogurt place near campus on Friday night.

**A/N: Thanks for reading and please review! I plan to upload a chapter each week.**

**Also if any of my old readers are reading this...sorry for my fanfiction neglect! Life got really busy suddenly. :C **

**But I am back! Yay! :)**

**Roxas:...(silently judging)**

**-KeedaxEmry**


	2. My Brother

I had forgotten about Sora.

I set up my first date ever—and forgot that my little brother was staying over. How could I be so stupid?

There he was, grinning and swinging a suitcase as I stepped out of the bathroom. My hair was wet and glued to my forehead and I was wearing one of my favorite outfits. What a mistake.

"Your favorite vest!" Sora half screamed. "Where are you going?!"

My apparel included jeans, a white t-shirt and a black vest, which was clearly tipping Sora off to my intentions for the evening. He was a sweet kid, and was the only person I have ever really been close to. I loved him a lot (don't tell him), finding it hard to stay mad at him for more than five minutes. That doesn't mean he can't annoy me; Sora acted like a little kid most of the time, running around and being too excited. He had mature moments, sure, and his knack for calming people down and listening without judging had come in handy several times. But I sure as hell didn't want to see him right now.

And yes, this was the vest I wore to almost every important event ever.

My brother was clinging to me, demanding answers.

"Get off—get—"

I shoved him aside. "So?! Are you going to a PARTY? A DATE?" His voice lowered. "Church?"

I laughed. "Why did you say that like it was a curse word?"

"Cause you don't like church!" he said happily.

"I'll cancel, hold on." I strode over to my bed where my phone was laying.

"Cancel? No! Go to your thing!" Sora insisted. "I can play Xbox!"

"Don't you do that enough at home?" I asked flatly.

"But Axel has different games!" He was already over there, flipping through Axel's collections.

"You shouldn't touch his stuff."

Sora pouted. "Where are you going?"

"Uhh, a frozen yogurt place."

"Can I go?" he gasped.

"No."

"No?"

"No."

"Can I go?" Axel appeared, grinning.

"HI AXEL!" Sora yelled.

"Hey kid."

"I'm seventeen."

"Are you?" Axel laughed.

"Can you watch him?" I cut in, gesturing towards my brother.

"I'm SEVENTEEN!" Sora exclaimed.

"I know, I know, but I forgot to do your paperwork and I don't wanna get in trouble." I was supposed to fill out papers saying I would have an overnight visitor—and anyhow he was supposed to be escorted while on campus.

"Where are you going and for how long?" Axel asked. "I had plans."

Plans. I can imagine what his plans were. "Frozen yogurt, less than two hours. Ok?"

"Hmm…" Axel crossed his arms over his chest as if heavily weighing the pros and cons. "Are you gonna bring us some frozen yogurt?"

Sora's expectant eyes landed straight on me. These two were a force to be reckoned with. "Sure whatever."

"I WANT STRAWBERRY!"

"_Sora,_ no need to yell."

"Sorry," he bowed his head.

"Chocolate," Axel flashed me a smile, ruffling Sora's hair with one hand. "He'll be nice and safe while you're gone."

I grabbed my stuff, staring at them for a few seconds wondering whether I should believe that statement or not. "No alcohol," I hissed quietly. Axel danced closer to me, nodding his head, while Sora sat on my bed, swinging his feet around.

"And," I added, "if anything happens to him, I'll kill you."

I expected Axel to look scared, but he took it in stride, seeming to understand. Strange.

"Sora," he called. "Wanna play with me?"

The Xbox was already on. Shesh. I was stepping out the door when I heard Sora's panicked voice, "Wait, I wanna know who Roxas is—"

I was already gone.

Naminé was waiting at our decided meeting place, right in front of the main dining hall. "Hey," I called out.

She gave a small wave. Today she was sporting a white tank top, jean jacket and straight skirt. "Hi Roxas," she greeted.

We walked the few blocks to the frozen yogurt place; the inside was painted in bright, pastel colors, and the whole place was self serve, meaning you'd pay depending on how much your food weighed. We both got vanilla, something that made Naminé smile. I decided to add Oreos to mine, watching the crumbs pile on while she got some graham crackers. A bored girl stood at the checkout, wearing a white apron and a blank look.

I insisted on paying, and we sat in a plush booth with our desserts.

"Are you a freshman?" I asked, slipping the plastic spoon into a hunk of ice cream.

"Yeah, you?"

"Mmhmm, wow this is really good."

"It is."

After a long paused, I asked, "Do you live around here?"

"I live on campus, and my family is about fifty minutes away."

"Oh cool. So I've been meaning to ask why you like art so much."

Naminé looked up at me, her eyes shining as if she had been asleep until now. "Have you ever seen something so full of_meaning_? It takes you to a memory and you have no idea why?"

"Uhh..well I guess music does that to me," I shrugged. "I am addicted to music."

She nodded. "I love drawing. To create something!"

"I wish I was that passionate about something," I laughed.

"I..uhh.." she blushed.

"Yes?"

"Ok to be honest, I saw you the first day of class and I really wanna draw you," she said in an embarrassed rush. "And I, uhh, drew a few sketches but it would be better if you were right in front of me."

Stalker? Did I pick the one creepy girl?

I said, "Oh really?"

"Yeah, sorry, I…I really like drawing."

"I noticed."

"So would that be ok?" she squeaked.

"What did you wanna draw exactly?" I managed, my head full of white robes…

"Your face."

"Oh, ok sure."

Before I could stop her, a notebook was out and her pencil was dancing across the page as she studied me.

I frantically wiped my mouth off and patted my hair down. At least I was done with my food…

I awkwardly sat still for a few minutes, feeling slightly mortified as the bored employee gave us a weird look. Naminé was in her own world and I had nothing to do besides listen to the quiet pop music playing overhead.

Just as I was about to ask if she would be finished soon, the notebook was gone. "Thank you so much!" she gushed.

"You're welcome," I said, phased. "Do I get to see it?"

She was suddenly defense. "Maybe when it's done."

"Alright."

She might be crazy.

"Sorry," she added, "I just get so excited and…"

"It's alright. Maybe I'll write a song for you."

"Oh..thanks," she smiled. "You wanna do this again sometime?"

Will you show up at my door if I say no? "Sure."

"Ok!" Naminé grabbed our trash. I was still trying to figure out if she was nice and just quirky, or if she was actually a weirdo stalker. I guess I would find out after more dates?

Almost out the door, I had to rush back inside and grab the two ice creams for Axel and Sora.

"Who are those for?" Naminé asked as we walked back to our rooms.

"My roommate and brother."

"You have a brother?"

"Yep, a year younger than me."

"You're so lucky. I always wanted siblings."

"You can have mine."

We laughed and parted ways. Later she would send me a text asking if I had had a good time and I would reply with "yeah." It was at least 90% true.

I was horrified when I arrived at my room.

The horror quickly turned to white hot anger and I swore up and down that I would find a way to get Axel kicked out of school. Or at least make him flunk statistics (for the third time, I may add). This is why sharing a room was an idiotic idea.

What I found was this: Axel smoking a cigarette on his bed, Demyx and Sora camped out in front of the TV, playing some violent shooter game.

I had the pleasure of meeting Demyx a few days prior to this specific incident. He was tall, muscular, and loved his guitar more than he loved people. I learned that within the first five minutes after meeting him; pretty sure he had a name for it and everything. He was also strong (learned that within the first ten minutes), a bad influence, a jokester, and an avid swimmer.

Just imagine what Sora had learned in the past hour.

"Get out," I ordered, shaking from my anger.

"Hey Roxas," Axel said cheerfully.

"You're not allowed to smoke in here!" I screeched.

He looked down at his cigarette, as if he had forgotten about it, and promptly took a long drag, then crushed it in a tissue.

"Don't start a fire!" I added.

"Chill, Roxas. I forget the rules. I was supposed to be living in an apartment, remember?"

"How do you forget that?" My voice was rising in pitch and volume.

Axel shrugged. "Not my fault Demyx was too late to snag an apartment for us."

"That's not the issue!" I stormed in. "Why is he here?"

"Hi Roxas!" Sora finally beamed at me, before turning back to his game.

"It smells like alcohol!"

"Does it?" Axel asked, bored. His eyes finally glanced at me, and I saw him stiffen. "Oh shit, you're totally pissed aren't you?"

"You think!" I yanked the controller from Demyx, who immediately slurred, "What was that for?" His breath hit me like a brick wall. God that was strong.

Sora gave a whimper. "Roxas, we were playing co-op!"

"And now you're not."

Demyx staggered to his feet. "What's wrong, Roxas?" He made a grab for me but fell over instead, laughing.

"Why are you drunk?" My voice was too shrill.

"It's Friday!"

Axel stood up. "Demyx, maybe you should go back to your room?"

"But we were having fun!" Sora suddenly cut in, upset.

"Sora, don't you see that—"

Axel shoved Demyx between me and my brother, forcing him out of the room, and they disappeared. I sighed, collapsing on my bed. I should spray some air freshener.

Sora plopped down next to me. "Now I have no one to play with," he said sadly.

I gave him a look. "Don't you realize he was drunk?"

"He's old enough, isn't he?"

"This is a non drinking campus."

Sora squinted. "Well he wasn't doing anything bad."

"Drinking is bad for you."

"I know!"

"Good."

We fell silent for a little bit. The smell of smoke and alcohol still hung in the air, and the screen nearby read "YOU DIED." People outside were laughing.

"So, who'd you go and see?" Sora finally asked meekly.

"A girl from my class."

"What's her name?"

"Naminé."

"Do you like her?"

"Who knows."

We were quiet again for a bit. Then he spoke up with a, "Don't be mad at Axel."

I sighed.

"Really! Demyx was drunk when he got here—"

"I don't care, Sora."

"But Roxas! Axel totally tried to get him to go away, but he was sad, so he let him play games with me! It was really nice."

"He's gonna get us all in trouble."

"He was being _nice_."

"Ok, ok. What do you wanna do the rest of the night?" I changed the subject.

"So you're not mad at Axel?"

"Sora."

"Roxas." He gave me a funny face and I chuckled. This kid.

"What do you wanna do?" I repeated.

"Hmm….where's my ice cream?"

I glanced around before spotting it in our tiny half kitchen, sitting on the counter, melting. The door to our room entered into that area, where a mini fridge, a sink, and a few lines of tiles covered the floor. The bathroom was adjacent, and all that left was this bedroom.

"I guess I set it over there," I nodded towards it.

He didn't need to be told twice. The ice cream was gone within minutes, and after Sora fell asleep, I secretly threw Axel's away. Red-headed bastard.


	3. Occupied

When I woke up, I immediately stiffened. Arms were around me, I could feel someone breathing on my cheek, and it was incredibly hot under my covers. I was about to throw the stranger when I noticed that it was just Sora. He was next to me, his arms wrapped tightly around me as he slept. He must've crawled into my bed sometime during the night. I peeked around, checking for Axel, and found him sitting at his desk. I could already hear the teasing from the current sleeping arrangement.

I gently shook my brother off, and he barely moved. Thank goodness he was a heavy sleeper.

The room smelled strangely of apples and cinnamon. Confused, I made my way to the bathroom, and spotted an air freshener next to Axel. I guess he sprayed it for me, since I never got to. Sora and I went to bed shortly after the other two had left—and I swear Sora had been in a sleeping bag on the floor when I last checked.

The shower was hot. I let the water pour over me, not caring that my skin was turning pink from the temperature. My mind was blank and slow as I woke up. I tried to think of ways to amuse Sora for the rest of the weekend. I tried to decide whether I wanted to date Naminé or not. Mostly, I just zoned out and washed all over. My body wash smelled like oranges—not my pick exactly, but my mom had given it to me and it did feel refreshing regardless.

I heard a strange noise. Huh?

I stopped rinsing my hair and listened.

It took a second, but I recognized the sound of the toilet flushing. I jumped back out of the water, but the temperature didn't change, thankfully.

"Sora?" I called.

"No, sorry."

"…Axel?" I asked, incredulous. "You _did_ hear the shower, right?"

"Yeah..uh…I might be in here for a little while."

"Why? I need to get out!"

"Sorry…"

He sounded awfully embarrassed. Perhaps more than I did. "Can't you leave for a minute?"

"If I—" He broke off.

"Axel?"

There was no response. I turned off the shower, a dozen possibilities flying around my head, none of them good.

"Can you at least throw me a towel?" I tried.

A blur of green swished past me and I barely managed to grab it before it landed on the floor. I wrapped it around my waist, and stepped out.

Axel was bent over the toilet.

"Drank too much?" I asked.

"I never get this sick."

"Uh-huh." Like I believed that.

He looked up as I was grabbing my clothes—I'd rather get dressed out in the room with Sora than in here. "Hey," he said, flushing the toilet again.

"Are you drunk from last night?" His face was red and his hand was clutching his stomach. I had never seen him look so out of control and uncool.

Then again I had only known him for two weeks.

"Roxas…you're…" He bent over the toilet again.

"I'm going," I opened the door, rolling my eyes.

"Wait…I'm sorry and," he coughed, sitting up a bit. "You have a nice torso."

I blinked and scurried out of the room before he could say anything else. Seriously? I have a nice torso? What was that supposed to mean?

"Morning!" Sora was sitting on my bed, yawning.

"Hey." I started throwing clothes on while he was still only half conscious.

"Why are you dressing out here?" he finally asked.

I jerked a thumb at the bathroom door. "Occupied."

We decided to walk around town for the day, looking around at the shops. After we ate lunch at a sandwich shop, Sora was suddenly much quieter. I could tell he was thinking about something. Instead of exclaiming about this and that around him, he was looking at the sidewalk silently.

"How are you?" I asked casually, not wanting to pry. Demyx probably told him something weird last night.

"Good," he answered. "I was thinking…"

"About?" We entered a bookstore, which made me happy. My eyes scanned titles while we talked and the air was the sort of crisp, musky smell that could only be found in such places.

"Can I hang out by myself tonight?" he squeaked.

I raised an eyebrow. "Doing what?"

"Oh, you know! I wanted to go to the movies."

"By yourself?"

"Yeah."

I stopped and looked at him. "Why?" Sora never wanted to do anything by himself. He would follow you into the bathroom if he had the option!

"I never have, and it's a movie you don't wanna watch and—"

"Oh is it that new cartoon thing?"

"Yeah!"

"Oh ok. You know where the theater is?"

"Yes!" A large smile broke across his face. "So it's ok?!"

"Sure," I shrugged. "What time is it?"

"In a few hours." Sora hugged me and I laughed to myself. Maybe he was finally becoming more independent.

So later I found myself on my laptop doing some homework while Sora went to watch that movie. I finished what little I had, and closed my computer, ready to read my latest book. Axel was passed out on his bed, but I could see him stirring.

"Roxas…" he croaked.

"Wow, you sound like shit."

"I feel like shit. My stomach is doing, like, cartwheels."

"If you have to throw up more, go sleep in the bathroom."

"Thanks." He sat up, rubbing his eyes. His face was pale, and I noticed his hand shaking slightly.

"Are you ok?"

"After throwing up a bazillion times?" A weak smile. Then he tipped back over onto the bed like he had lost his balance.

I scurried over to him. "Are you dying?"

"Ha ha."

I put my hand on his forehead, and watched his eyes widen. Then he relaxed and closed his eyes like it was the nicest thing in the world. "You're burning up," I concluded. "I guess you're sick."

"I told you I never get that sick from drinking!"

"Doesn't mean you should drink," I muttered.

"I'll sleep it off."

"Shouldn't you go to the nurse?"

"Nah."

"Axel."

"What?!"

"You have a fever!"

"I'm fine."

"Have you been drinking water?!"

"Should I?"

"At least drink ginger ale!"

"I don't have any."

"Oh my god." I threw my hands up and strode out of the room before he could say anything.

He was asleep again when I got back. I had a plastic bag full of saltine crackers and ginger ale. One swift prod to the back, and Axel was awake.

"Huh?"

"Eat something."

His eyes widened at the bag. "You got all that?"

"Yeah."

"Well…thanks. Who taught you that?"

"My mom is a nurse. Well she was." I shrugged."But don't most people know to do this?"

"I dunno."

"Just eat it."

"Ok, Roxie."

He dug in while I finally got back to my book. Sora would be back any minute, and I wanted to seize the opportunity to get a chapter in with no distractions.

Axel cleared his throat again. "Sorry if I made you feel awkward."

"Alright," I said barely listening.

"You just looked good in that towel."

My neck snapped up. "What?"

He was grinning. "I'm kidding!"

I gave him a suspicious look, and turned back to my book. But now I couldn't concentrate. Is he trying to annoy me from every angle or something? Cause there's no way he's gay. And neither am I.

I guess there's no problem then. Axel is just being an asshole, like always. Teasing me with false compliments.

"And sorry again for yesterday."

"Stop apologizing, Axel."

"Something's just bothering me…"

"If it's your stomach, go to the bathroom."

"No, no, I'm feelin better."

"What is it then? I am trying to read, if you didn't notice."

"You don't like me, do you?"

"That's right."

"Wow." He sounded hurt, and I looked up in surprise.

"Axel, I'm kidding."

He waved me off but—shit—he was turning his head away from me and wiping at his face quickly. Was he _crying_? Joking, annoying Axel, crying?

"Really, Axel, I was kidding…" I tried. "Are you, uh, alright?"

"Yeah," he said looking at me. There were no tears on his face, so maybe I imagined it.

"Are you sure?"

"Being sick makes me weird," he grunted.

"Oh, ok." I turned back to my book.

"Roxas?"

Oh my god, I am never going to finish this book. "Yes?"

"I was talking to Sora last night and I was..kinda concerned..."

"What? What did you talk about?" I set my book aside. Who knows what had happened while I was gone; I should never have left them alone here. Sora knows everything about me, while Axel could easily corrupt him in less than two sentences. What if they swapped embarrassing stories or something?

"You know," he said finally.

"No, I don't."

"Never mind." He slouched over, nibbling on a cracker.

"No, tell me."

"Never mind, you probably didn't want me to know…"

I was about to burst with some kind of anger when my phone buzzed. _Hey, what are you up to? _Naminé was asking. Not now, I thought, putting it away.

"Axel," I started right as there was a knock. I opened the door and Sora hopped into the room. Damn it.

"Roxas! Axel!" He beamed at us. "I have some leftover popcorn!"

"None for me." Axel pointed at his stomach.

I didn't get a chance to ask either of them about what they had talked about until Monday.

**A/N: What do you guys think so far? I haven't written for awhile, so sorry if I am a bit rusty. ^^' Thanks for reading! **

**~KeedaxEmry**


	4. Groups

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays were my favorite days of the week here. I would wake up at 8:30, grabbing a travel mug of hot tea, and rush out to a building across campus for my composition class and my English literature class.

The former was set up in a computer lab, and my teacher loved to talk about all sorts of things—from philosophy to morality—and let us choose our own topics to write about. My English literature class was similar in its laidback style, and we mostly spent out time discussing whatever novel we were reading at the time.

I was always in a great mood afterwards; today I was rushing through the rain and I didn't even mind. The only little thing bothering me, of course, was whatever Axel had mentioned on Saturday. I didn't want to confront them both at the same time, and this morning I had sent Sora a quick text reading: _Did you and Axel talk about anything I should know about?_

The food court near my room was packed with students. The dull roar and bustle of bodies was almost enough to turn me away, but my stomach was growling angrily. As I was getting in line, I received a text from Sora saying: _Nope!_

He was obliviously lying. _Sora seriously._

After an eternity, I got a bagel with plain cream cheese and grabbed a table. At first I had felt slightly awkward, always sitting by myself while everyone else seemed to be in large groups, but I quickly got used to it. I had eaten alone plenty of times in high school too; the only difference is that place was hell all the time. At least I had more than one friend there. I was considering trying to reach my old buddy, Hayner, when my phone beeped. _Yep! I am at school, ttyl._

I sighed. Maybe I would just try to ask Axel again.

My mom called as I was walking back to my room, and I pressed ignore. I didn't have the energy to deal with her right now.

The afternoon inched by as I attended class and worked through homework. Finally, around dinner time, Axel showed up.

"Hey," I greeted.

He looked at me, surprised, and dropped his backpack on the floor. "Oh hey. I have a stat quiz this week, just so you know."

"You're still on that easy chapter," I waved him off. "So what were you and Sora talking about?"

"When?" Axel was clearly getting ready to leave again.

"Friday."

"Uhh.." He grabbed his car keys. "I can't remember."

"Yes you can."

"Listen, I'm going out to that steak place and I need to leave now or else they might ditch me for being late."

"Hey," I jumped off the bed. "You totally owe me! You have to tell me."

"I do not. And besides, I never got my ice cream." Axel was already stepping out the door and I stubbornly followed.

"Stop being a dick."

He laughed. "See ya later."

"I'm coming with you."

Axel paused right in the hallway. "We're not talking about _that_ while I'm out with my friends."

My arms crossed over my chest and I stared him down. "Afterwards then. I'm not letting you run off again. The two of you have been avoiding this conversation since Saturday!"

"It's only Monday, chill."

I guess he realized I was serious, so he led the way. His car was tiny, and a weird maroon color; it was parked near our building, which clearly was not allowed, but I didn't ask. He unlocked it, and folded in half to fit inside.

I jumped in shotgun. I fit ok, but Axel's head was brushing the top. He was too freakishly tall.

The smell of cigarettes hung in the air and the backseat was full of junk—CDs, empty bottles, a worn blanket, and…please god don't let that be a condom. Just imagine what I might be sitting on.

"Smoking gives you cancer," I muttered.

The engine revved on, sounding like it was having a horrible coughing fit. "I'm trying to quit."

The stereo began screaming as Axel quickly backed up and began speeding down the roads. I recognized the heavy rock song and, ok, to be honest, I loved it and knew all the words. Music and reading are my top two hobbies, so this wasn't too abnormal. It was a mix CD that switched from rock/metal to some alternative and 90's stuff. I wasn't sure what to expect from Axel's music taste but I had secretly been hoping he loved cheesy pop and twangy country. This idiot shouldn't be allowed to like good music.

We arrived at the steakhouse. The lighting was dim inside and the AC was on full blast, giving me goosebumps. There was a table nearby crowded with people and of course that's where we headed.

"Hey guys," Axel called.

"Axel!" I saw Demyx stand up, and they bumped fists. How stupid.

"This is my roommate, Roxas."

"Hi," I managed to all the eyes on me.

I sat down next to Axel and surveyed everyone. Demyx was across from me, gesturing wildly and rambling about something. Next to him was a blonde girl with a thin face, looking unimpressed. At the head of the table, near the girl, was a…person with long, pink hair. I couldn't tell if it was a guy or a girl, and the black hoodie gave nothing away. On the other side of Demyx, at the opposite end from the (s)he, was a boy who looked younger than the rest of them, who all appeared to be around Axel's age. He had blue-ish hair that covered half of his face and a book sat in front of him. He was far quieter than everyone else, with their loud chatter.

"…and I said no shit," Demyx grinned.

"What an amusing story," the girl drawled, obviously not amused.

"You loved it." He bumped her shoulder and I briefly wondered if they were dating.

"Axel, why'd you bring the shrimp?"

"Yeah, Axel, I thought we came here for steak!" Demyx joked, looking proud of himself.

"He wanted to come," Axel shrugged.

I offered nothing.

"Let me introduce everyone!" Demyx beamed. "Larxene," he pointed at the girl, who sneered. "Marluxia." He pointed at the androgynous individual and the name did nothing to help me. "And Zexion!" The younger one nodded at me. He was my favorite so far.

"You smell like chlorine," Axel complained.

"I just went swimming!"

"Of course you did."

A waitress appeared and took our orders. In a panic, I realized I had left my wallet at home, and when she got to me, I said, "Just water is fine."

"Just water?" Axel asked, incredulous. "Aren't you hungry?"

"I forgot my wallet," I hissed, not wanting everyone to hear. The waitress was staring at me, looking lost as she held her notepad up in the air.

"Oh, I can cover it," he said easily.

"Really? I can pay you—"

"Just order already!"

I ordered chicken instead of steak because it was cheaper.

"Who _wouldn't_ want to fly?" Demyx was demanding. He was the most talkative out of the group; Larxene mostly made mean comments, making me wonder how she had any friends, while Axel made a few replies, Zexion kept quiet, and Marluxia was messing with his/her nails.

"I'd rather have x-ray vision," Axel grinned.

"Pervert," Larxene snapped, making them laugh.

"What about you, Roxas?" Demyx asked. "What superpower would you want?"

"Telepathy," I said automatically. Or the ability to ward off pests.

"No! That would be horrible!"

"What makes you say that?"

"Just imagine," he scrunched his nose up. "Larxene is probably planning a murder, and everyone else is daydreaming about sex."

"You know it!" Axel laughed.

"And what if you had to hear it all the time? It would be so annoying!"

I hear you all the time. I shrugged.

"What about you two?" Demyx asked to Zexion and Marluxia.

"Superhuman intelligence," was Zexion's answer. ("You already have that!" Demyx exclaimed.)

"Shape shifting," was Marluxia's answer.

The night went on in this fashion, and I mostly kept my mouth shut. Towards the end, as everyone but me was paying, Zexion approached me. "They're kind of overbearing."

"Yeah," I said confused. "And loud."

He smiled. "I'm a sophomore here."

"I'm a freshman."

"Whoa, whoa!" Demyx threw himself at Zexion, grabbing his arm. "You trying to pick up my man?" he demanded from me.

I took a step back. "Uh.."

"Relax, Demyx," Axel swept in while Zexion and I still look mortified. "Roxas is taken." He winked at me.

Was I?

"Oh ok, cool," Demyx said, leading Zexion away. "See ya guys later."

"Why'd you tell him that?" I swung on my heel to look at the grinning redhead. "And are they..dating?"

"I think so? And cause you have that girlfriend, right?"

"Oh, Naminé?"

"Is that her name? Whatever, whatever, Demyx can have his mood swings."

We were back in his car before I began to demand information again.

Axel waved me off. "I paid for your food, I am off the hook."

"That's not how it works!"

"You look just like Sora when you pout like that," he teased.

"Just tell me already."

"I don't feel like it."

"I'll slash your tires."

"We just talked about your family, Roxie." He jerked the steering wheel a little too hard, and I was pushed against the door.

"What about them?"

"Nothing much," he grinned. "I have stat homework to do tonight!"

So he was no help at all.

XxXxXxX

A few days later, while getting ready to meet up with Naminé for the second time, I finally remember to asked this: "So is Marluxia a guy or a girl?"

Axel looked up from his computer, already laughing. "He's a guy!"

"Oh ok," I said embarrassed.

"You really didn't know?" He was actually shaking from laughter.

"He has pink hair!"

"I know, such bad taste. He's kinda fruity."

I had to ask. "Are all your friends gay?"

"Nah," he chuckled. "Just a lot of them."

"Are you…" I tried.

"Gay?"

"Yeah."

"Depends on who you ask," he grinned.

Before I had time to contemplate that statement, a silver haired boy was at the door. "Hey," he said flatly when I answered. "Is Axel here?" This guy was well-toned and taller than me with ice colored eyes.

I let him inside. "Riku!" Axel exclaimed. "Why didn't you show up the other day?!"

I left the two alone; in college, there always seemed to be someone around, especially when your roommate was even remotely popular. So is Axel gay or not? He didn't seem like it in the stereotypical sense…but the only girl I've seen him with is Larxene, and there's no way anyone would want to date her…should I be worried about this? What if he develops a crush on me?

No way, I reasoned.

Naminé was up ahead; we didn't have exact plans so the first thing she asked was what I wanted to do.

"Uh...I dunno..." I answered. This was a small college town, so there weren't many options. There was a movie theatre, a mall, the main street where I had taken Sora, countless dorm rooms and parties. Not much else.

We settled on walking around the mall. Naminé was actually a very normal girl if you looked past her obsession with drawing. We talked about random things, including: pets, our childhood, politics, TV shows, and dancing. I even managed to win her a stuffed animal from those evil claw machines, and she carried it around all day. I enjoyed her presence more than that of Axel's friends, except for maybe Zexion.

"Wanna see my room?" she asked when we got back to campus.

Unsure, I agreed. I was hoping she didn't wanna do anything..you know. I wasn't feeling up to that yet.

She had a private style room, which meant two separate bedrooms. Her own room! Exactly what I needed for myself.

The bed was white and plush, and covered with forgotten pencils, erasers, papers, and notebooks. Everything else was neat. She had her dressed pushed near the bed with a small lamp on it. The walls were covered with paintings and drawings. I stared at them for at least a minute, unable to find a single theme. Some were random, some were dark, some had flowers, some had only random colors.

"Wow," I managed.

She blushed. "I know, my room is kinda messy."

"No, I mean…these are amazing."

"Oh, some of them are mine," she said happily but did not offer to sort them for me.

Naminé busied herself with digging through all her papers until she presented one to me. I took it, slightly wary, and gasped at what I saw. It was me. She had drawn it in pencil, but now it was completely colored. The background was filled with mixed blues, as if I was nowhere in particular, and my eyes were looking off to the side. I looked…I mean, I looked handsome, and it was a really beautiful drawing; the look on my face was just distant. Like I wasn't all there, or like I didn't really care for anything. Is this what I really look like? Or maybe it was just how she saw me. Regardless it was stunning.

"Wow," I breathed again.

"Do you like it?" she asked shyly.

"Yeah, you're..amazing, Naminé."

"Oh thanks." She looked around briefly, then sat down. "What do you wanna do now?"

"Uhh it's getting kinda late isn't it?"

She giggled. "It's not _too_ late, you know…"

"I have some reading to do for class."

Her face fell slightly and I wondered what I had done. "Oh alright. Want me to walk you?"

"No, I'm fine. Do you want this back?" I held the picture out to her.

"Nope! As long as I can draw you again, that is." Her eyes sparkled at the thought.

"Sure," I chuckled. "Good night!"

"Good night, Roxas."

Just as I was getting in bed that night, she texted me. _Have you had a girlfriend before?_

I answered with a no and yelled at Axel to turn his video game down.

He was sitting on the floor in front of the TV, only a few feet away from me. "It's not that late yet," he complained.

"I'm tired."

My phone buzzed. _Oh ok I thought so. See you tomorrow in class! _

This was concerning. Was my nonexistent dating history that obvious?

"Hey Axel."

"Hm?"

"Can you tell that I've never had a girlfriend before?"

"Ha ha ha ha, hell yeah I can, Roxie."

I told him to shut up and rolled over.

**A/N: Winter break! :D Please review, make suggestions, tell me what you like, etc, etc.**

**~KeedaxEmry**


	5. The Sprinkles

The next day I was still bothered by Naminé's question, and couldn't help thinking that she _had_ wanted to do something sexual, or at least romantic. I discussed it over lunch with Axel; we happened to both be in the room at the same time while the TV played a show that was ideal for zoning out to.

"Well," Axel said, taking a huge bite out of his hamburger. "She probably just wanted to make out or something."

"Make out?" I asked, horrified.

"I doubt she wanted to have sex already." He laughed at me for a few moments.

"Oh ok."

His eyes flitted sideways to glance at me. "Never been kissed?"

"Shut up."

"You could always practice with your pillow."

"Like I'm gonna do that!"

"Oh! Before I forget!" He suddenly jumped up, shoving the rest of his food in his mouth and going over to his desk. "Do you like The Sprinkles?"

Disregarding the cutesy name, The Sprinkles was a rock band that was semi popular. I had all their CDs and an old poster back at home. "Yep."

"You wanna go to a concert with me?"

I felt my heart rush with shocked excitement. Was he serious? I had never been to a concert, and it had been killing me for the past few years. Whenever someone good was in town, something came up to prevent it: it was too far away, I had school, I had no one to go with. And The Sprinkles?! They were to die for. On the other hand, it would mean spending a lot of time with this idiot.

Although he had seemed a little less annoying lately. I was probably just getting used to him.

"Is there a catch?" I asked.

"No. I already have the tickets." He waved them at me, grinning. "I was supposed to go with Demyx but his sister eloped or something."

"Oh, when's the concert?"

"Next Friday."

"Alright." I took my ticket, secretly very excited. "Thanks."

The week obviously dragged by and by Friday I was so on edge, I'm surprised I wasn't dancing around. I was in the bathroom, throwing on a pair of jeans and combing my hair, while Axel was humming in the background. I saw his face appear in the mirror. "I am so pumped," he beamed. "What do you think?" He yanked his hair back into a ponytail, posed with a weird puckered face, then let his hair fall back down.

"No mantail," I said without a single thought.

Axel stuck his tongue out. "Are you jealous of my gorgeous hair?"

I snorted. "It's like your head is being engulfed in spiky flames."

He paused, thoughtful. "Hmm…spiky flames. I like it."

I set my comb down next to the sink, asking, "Do you use a gallon of hair gel every day or what?"

"I could ask you the same thing," he smirked.

I had a small jar of hair gel hidden within my things; I used only a little bit each day, I swear! I can't stand when my hair doesn't look like the right kind of messy. It drove my mom a little crazy ("You're hair is fine without this glue!") but she kept buying it for me regardless. Which reminded me that the last time I talked to her, she was harassing me to get a job again…bleh…

"When are we leaving?"

"Whenever." Axel was still surveying himself in the mirror. He was wearing tight, black jeans, and a The Sprinkles t-shirt. He looked so…thin and mature and something I couldn't put my finger on. Unfortunately, he noticed where my eyes were, and he gave me a mischievous look, a smile stretching across his face. "Yes, Roxas?"

I felt heat fill my face. "What?" Out of the bathroom in two seconds, I started gathering my things. "I'm ready, Axel."

"Alright." He appeared, grabbing his keys and jingling them absentmindedly. "Want to drink some coffee before we go? We won't be back til late."

"No, that stuff is disgusting."

"It's better than your tea!"

"Is not."

"Don't blame me if you get tired."

We were out the door and headed to his car. The sun was starting to set, making the sky orange and pink. The days were already getting shorter with the approaching winter. Everything was oddly quiet for a Friday night, and the shadows were stretching in the fading light.

The venue was about twenty minutes away, in a large nightclub. Concerts can be held in a variety of settings, and I guess this place was pretty nice. We were patted down upon entry, and then we walked inside. The lighting was dim and already packed. Everywhere I looked, there were people chatting, holding plastic cups, and wearing odd assortments of clothing. "Is there alcohol here?" I asked, confused.

"Only upstairs," he explained. "I guess I'll ditch you down here so I can grab myself something."

I shot him a dirty look. "You'd better not."

"I was kidding, Roxie." He looped his arm around my shoulders and I sighed.

We talked through the warm up bands that neither of us cared about. It was pretty lighthearted until I asked why he had chosen to be a crim-major, to which he replied, "It's interesting." But I could tell from the look on his face that, not only was that not the reason, but he didn't want to talk about it whatsoever. So I awkwardly changed the subject and that's when a girl came up to us.

She was wearing…well not much. Her legs were long and slender, and barely covered from her miniskirt. Her face was a cute oval shape, framed with short dark hair, and she gave us a smile. "I love The Sprinkles."

"We do too," Axel replied.

"You guys wanna hang out? My friends ditched me."

I stole a glance at Axel, trying not to laugh; it was hard to tell whether he was disgusted, amused, or torn. "My friend doesn't do drugs."

She glanced at me, startled. "I'm not here to…" she tried desperately.

"Oh, good," he grinned. "I'm Axel, and this is Roxas."

"I'm Amber," she introduced.

We turned back to where the stage sat in front. I had to crane my head slightly in order to see over everyone; curse my short genes.

"How are you, Roxas?" Amber slid closer to me.

I shrugged. I hate talking to people I don't know.

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

Did Naminé count? I just shrugged again.

"You're so quiet," she breathed, leaning closer to me. All I could look at was the thick black goo outlining her eyes…she smelled like peppermint…

"What are you doing?" I finally squeaked in a panic, shoving her back. She lost her balance—she was wearing high heels—and landed on her butt. The image of black underwear pieced my eyes and I was so embarrassed I wanted to cry.

"You _asshole_," she hissed, jumping up.

"I'm sorry!"

Axel was staring at us. "He has a girlfriend, you know," he put in.

Amber sneered at us and, to my relief, stalked off. Thank god.

"You were a big help there," I glared.

"Sorry, I—"

But at that moment, The Sprinkles entered the stage and the crowd roared. The concert was amazing; it lasted over an hour, and Axel and I spent the time singing along. Screaming, really. The band was so loud, the floor was vibrating under my feet. We were shuffled around by the mob, eventually ending up closer to the stage. When The Sprinkles were coaxed back out for an encore, everyone surged closer, and I was pushed against Axel. He caught me, laughing. "Are you alright?"

His skin was hot against mine. "Yeah." I straightened, but was still pretty close to him.

A guitar riff filled the air and I forgot about the proximity.

"That was amazing!" Axel beamed. We stepped out into the parking lot, the crowd spilling out onto the pavement. There was already a long line of cars trying to get out.

"Yeah. Maybe we should wait a few minutes for things to clear out."

"Good idea," he nodded.

We looped over to his car. There was a cold tinge to the air that made me shiver slightly. I slid into the passenger's seat, grateful to be sitting; the bottom of my feet were aching and my eyes felt heavy.

"Want me to start the car to heat it up?" Axel was asking. "You look cold and tired."

"I'm alright." I shifted so I was sitting up straighter. "Good thing you didn't get drunk, Mr. Driver."

"I wasn't gonna. You should totally learn how to drive, Roxie."

"Not my name," I muttered, ignoring the fact that I _do_ know how to drive.

"You must be close to your brother if he's allowed to call you that."

I rolled my eyes. "He'd probably cry if I didn't let him."

"True," Axel laughed. "You could've slept with that Amber girl if you wanted to."

"I didn't want to."

"Where's your sense of adventure?"

"Not with some random, possibly disease-ridden girl."

"Roxas! Don't be mean!" He laughed again.

"I should feel pumped up still," I complained, feeling drained. My eyelids were dropping and it was hard to keep my head up.

"Here." Axel threw a blanket on me. It was warm and it smelled like the ocean—a mix of salt and fresh air.

Instead of complaining, I kept it around me and looked out the window. A group of people were walking by, loudly making jokes and shoving each other around. Maybe next time I could go with a group…I could take Sora…except he doesn't like The Sprinkles…well I could take Hayner..and maybe Naminé..and…

Axel was on top of me in the car. His green eyes reminded me of a cat's, and he was giving me a strange smile. "What are you doing?" I asked. His knees were pressed against the outsides of my thighs, preventing any real movement.

He leaned closer, whispering my name, and I felt a strange thrill in my spine.

Suddenly, a gray figure was at the window, and was grabbing Axel, dragging him outside. There was blood and sickening noises, and I realized a zombie was over my roommate, tearing into his flesh.

Oh, right. This is a dream.

The zombie was a man wearing ripped overalls. Blood smeared his face and caked his dark hair. Lunging towards me, clearly done with Axel, I tried to move away. My seatbelt prevented this and he was about to grab my throat—

"Roxas?" I blinked, and there was the real Axel. Thankfully he wasn't a pile of blood and guts outside.

His hands were on my shoulders, gently shaking me awake.

"Wha?" I asked drowsily.

"You were making weird noises."

"Oh." I used my knuckles to rub my eyes. Something was off. I glanced around, my eyes adjusting slowly to the dark. Underneath me was grass, not a plush car seat. The highway was a few yards ahead of me, cars zooming past loudly. Axel was standing nearby, now smoking a cigarette. The lit part shone brightly, more so than the dotted stars above.

"…Axel?" I finally asked. "Where the hell are we?"

"My car ran out of gas."

"Shouldn't you find a gas station? Don't you pay attention to how much fuel you have?" I immediately exploded.

I saw him shrug, taking a drag. "I guess I was too preoccupied."

"And did you…_carry_ me here?"

"Yep."

"Why?"

"You looked so peaceful, until you started making noise."

"You could've kept me in the car!"

"I didn't want to smoke alone."

I failed to understand his logic; the car was pulled to the side, I now saw, looking sad all by itself.

"What are we doing now?" I wrapped my arms around myself, then pulled my phone out of my pocket. Three new text messages from Sora. I put it back away.

"Riku is bringing us gas, since Demyx didn't answer."

"Alright." I stood up, stretching my legs. My stomach rumbled despite the late hour and Axel grinned.

"Hungry, Roxie?"

"No."

He threw something at me without a word, and I barely managed to catch it. It was half of a Hershey's bar, still in the wrapper. I broke a square off and set it on my tongue, letting the sweetness melt. "Thanks," I muttered sarcastically.

"There he is!" Axel strode away and I followed.

That silver-haired guy—Riku—was pulling up in an old red truck. I watched as he jumped out, grabbing a gas can from the back.

"Hey!" Axel called.

"Here," Riku thrusted the can into Axel's hand.

"Thanks man!"

"No prob." He glanced at me. "Roxas right?"

I nodded.

"Nice to meet you," he said before getting back in his car.

"Hey, don't you wanna—"

Axel was cut off. "I need to go get some sleep."

"Oh alright. I owe you one."

"Yes you do," Riku said seriously.

"Nothing illegal!" Axel yelled after him as his friend sped off.

I sat back on the grass as Axel filled the tank. I finished off the chocolate, and read the texts from my brother:

_Roxie! Mom says to call her._

_Can I come up again soon? Like next weekend?_

_Answer meeee :( :( :( Look at how sad I am!_

I answered with a "sure" right when Axel was gunning up the engine. I got up, wiping my jeans off, and got back into the car.

I shoved the used chocolate wrapper in my pocket as Axel asked, "So what were you dreaming about earlier?"

"Oh..zombies."

"Zombies?" He gave me a strange look, only one hand on the steering wheel as we rapidly cut through the dark night.

"Yeah, I always have zombie dreams. Sora thinks I should write a book. You know, string them all together in a giant government conspiracy kinda thing."

"Wow, that's the longest answer I've ever gotten from you!" he laughed.

"Shut up."

"So was it just zombies?" he asked casually.

Oh god, was I really talking that much in my sleep? I _did_ do that on occasion…which meant, he may very well know exactly what was in my dreams. Shit.

"Yeah."

"Oh alright," he said easily. "It'll be a few minutes still, so you can sleep more if you want."

No way in hell was I sleeping more.

Although….he was my roommate so I'd be forced to sleep around him again soon.

But I'm sure I wouldn't have a dream like that again.


	6. Scratched Guitars

"Hey mom."

"Roxas!"

"Hi," I smiled weakly.

"It's been a month since you've been gone and you've only called twice!"

"I know, I know, I'm sorry." I sat on my bed. It was Thursday, and tomorrow Sora was coming up again, just in time for October to arrive. I couldn't believe how fast September had gone—I had already pushed through at least two exams per class, and a few papers as well. It was strange. I was already used to everything here.

Including my idiotic roommate.

I had, unfortunately, missed the room change form deadline. I had been too busy with The Sprinkles concert to think about it. And, besides, Axel was out of the room a lot of the time, and I was helping him with stats. He'd surely fail without me.

"Sora seems to miss you a lot," my mom was saying. She had a gentle voice, exactly what you'd expect. "He keeps asking if he can come over. I'm trying to restrict him a bit."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "Just about every weekend he asks."

"He's still coming up Friday, right?"

"Yeah." She lowered her voice. "He's been getting in a few spats with dad."

I ran a hand through my hair. "Great."

"But we're all ok," she said, too cheerfully. "I'm finally getting the kitchen re-done!"

"Cool."

"I picked these adorable yellow tiles!"

"Sounds nice."

"You were never good at talking," she hummed. I could just picture her, bubbling around the kitchen, wearing that silly polka dotted apron. She sounded like she really missed me, and I felt a stab of guilt. My mom wasn't my favorite person…she was a lot like Sora, just older and somehow stupider. She was, however, very kind and loving. Just how a mom is supposed to be.

"Sorry mom."

"No, no! It's just good to hear your voice!"

"I miss you too."

"How are your classes, honey?"

"I got a 98 percent on my last paper."

"Wow! Good job. You were always good at school."

"Yeah."

"Have you made friends?"

"Yeah, a few," I said, thinking of Naminé and maybe Zexion.

"Any girls I should know about?"

"No," I said quickly.

"Mmm, alright. In time."

"I'm not getting married any time soon, mom."

"Of course not!" she laughed. We both knew how much she wanted a wedding, regardless of our ages. She was girly like that—too bad she had two boys. "Is your roommate any better?"

"Yeah, I'm helping him with math."

"Good! So I was thinking.." I listened to her ramble about home decoration projects until I insisted that I had to go to class. After she hung up, I pushed my ear buds into my ears, blasting music and laying on my back, staring at the ceiling. Talking to her was exhausting, no matter what we spoke about.

A little while later, I found Naminé in our usual place. I grabbed my seat. The professor wasn't there yet.

"Hey," I greeted.

"Hi Roxas," she smiled. "Did you want to hang out again sometime?"

"It'd probably have to be after this weekend, my brother is coming up again."

"What's his name?"

"Sora."

"Maybe I could meet him?"

"If you want." I took out my notebook, flipping to a random page.

I caught her peeking at it before I could stop her and she said, "Roxas, do you write _any_ notes?"

My pages were full of simple doodles, which should have excited her! Oh well. "Nah, this class is easy."

"You got a C on the last test!"

"I still have an A."

"..really?"

"Yeah, the tests only count for 20 percent of our grade. Most of it is showing up to class and doing the projects."

"Oh, huh, I guess that is right."

"You worry too much," I grinned.

"I suppose." We turned back to the front, where the professor was beginning to talk, and at the end of class, we headed to the dining hall. There was a long string of students entering; all of them seemed to be wearing hoodies and jeans or sweatpants, wires snaking up to their ears. I matched perfectly in my blue hoodie—a change from my mostly white and black wardrobe. Naminé had on dark jeans that hugged her thighs, and a shimmery white scarf wrapped around her neck. She looked completely in place with the dark sky behind her. The leaves were starting to change, and a few splotches of orange and yellow and red sat on the sidewalk. The air was getting colder and colder as the days went by. This was my favorite season…and Halloween, my favorite holiday, was right around the corner!

Inside, we found a table near the back, and helped ourselves to the buffet. The food here wasn't great, but you could get a lot for just one meal swipe. I got myself a Sprint and a plate of pasta.

We started quietly eating. I still felt so confused about Naminé.

I mean, I shouldn't be.

There was nothing confusing about us, right? We were dating. I think. Maybe. That made her my girlfriend. And eventually we would do more than what we'd been doing lately, which was mostly hang out in class and go out to eat. She was gonna draw me again soon, probably in her room…so we'd probably kiss then. It would be nice, I'm sure, if the rest of the world was anything to go by. Many of the books I've read described it: soft, wet, slow, fast, gentle, rough. So many possibilities. And Naminé was always wearing chapstick, so I'd probably get a taste of that.

What a weird thought.

I was still absorbed in this when my attention was brought to Naminé saying, "Is that guy ok?"

I glanced over and to my horror, saw Zexion confronting Demyx. They were both snarling, leaned towards each other, red in the face. Demyx stalked off, and Zexion was left standing there. His eyes swept the room and awkwardly stopped at me. I managed to wave him over.

"Hey Roxas."

"Hey Zexion. This is Naminé." She waved.

"Nice to meet you."

"You wanna eat with us?"

"Sure." He sat down gratefully. I had yet to hang out with him much, just when he happened to be around, but I liked his quiet, bookworm nature. It was a lot like my own.

"So what happened?" I asked quietly.

"Eh, it's stupid."

"I'm gonna go get some ice cream!" Naminé disappeared before I could ask her to bring me some.

"Well, sorry," I said.

"I accidentally scratched his guitar."

"..you did not."

Zexion nodded, his face dark. "And I offered to fix it, but he blew up and rehashed every single argument we've ever had and.."

"Jesus."

"Yeah." He gave me a weak smile.

"And he's not gonna kill me for talking to you?"

"No. Do you want my number? We could meet up sometime."

"Oh sure."

"Have you ever read…"

We entered a heated discussion that lasted until we parted ways. He and Naminé got along well enough, and I did get myself some ice cream.

When I got back home, Axel was bent over his desk, clearly freaking out.

"What's wrong?" I asked, dropping my stuff on my bed.

"This homework is impossible!"

"Stats?"

He nodded. "Seriously…I do the problem, and it's super easy, and then I check the answer and it's completely wrong..."

I pulled my desk chair over to him, and scanned over his paper. "That's because you're skipping steps and confusing yourself!"

"I am not," he argued.

"If you write everything down," I insisted, "it's easier. Here."

I yanked the pencil out of his grip, scribbling things down. Axel looked over it, skeptically.

"See?" I asked.

"I guess," he shook his head. "You're amazing, Roxie."

I blushed. "Not really."

"Yes, really." He grabbed me in hug, and I couldn't help noticing his smell..it was manly with a hint of..cinnamon or something. To be honest, it smelled pretty good.

"Let go," I muttered, my voice muffled from his shirt.

He let go, grinning. "Let me try it now."

I checked my phone while he kept at it. _Can I stop by your room at 4 tomorrow? _Naminé was asking.

I confirmed, wondering what Sora would think of her.

"I think I did it wrong again!" Axel was groaning.

I leaned towards the paper. "Did you skip a step again?...Axel."

"Yes?"

"Really."

"Really what?"

"You subtracted wrong."

"Huh?..oh!" he laughed. Then he winked. "That one was on purpose."

"Why would you mess up on purpose?" I asked incredulously.

"To keep you on your toes!" He put his mouth against my ear and before I could swat him away, he whispered, "And because I like spending time with you, Roxas."

"You weirdo!" I jumped up, flustered. "Sora and Naminé are coming over tomorrow."

"Alright," he said, unfazed.

"So no alcohol."

"Ok."

"No anything!"

"Ok, ok," he laughed.

"I mean it."

"I know," he made a face. "Stop messing with my Friday nights."

"Stop messing with my head!"

He glanced up and before he could ask what I meant, I retreated to the bathroom. I wasn't sure what I meant either.

**A/N: Should I finish this story?**

**~KionaxKeeda**


	7. Some Kind of Disaster

"NAMINÉ!"

Sora burst into the room, his suitcase flung to the floor before he pulled an alarmed Naminé into a hug. "Hi," she managed.

"I told him you were here," I half explained.

"Oh ok." She forced a smile.

He pulled away, beaming. "So where's Axel?"

"He went out somewhere," I shrugged.

"Want to play a game?"

"What kind of game?" Naminé asked politely.

"I brought the Disney version of Apples to Apples!"

"Alright," we agreed.

We situated ourselves on the floor and I got everyone a can of soda. Everything flung out of the box as Sora tipped it over eagerly; he was grinning wildly and he kept asking Naminé questions. Soon he would know more about her than I did before today. "I love Disney," he was explaining.

"What's your favorite Disney movie?" Naminé responded.

"All of them!"

She smiled, and gave me an odd look which probably meant "your brother is strange." I nodded.

We had probably played for an hour, in which Sora almost snorted soda out of his nose and Naminé collected the most cards. Her answered always managed to make us laugh, surprisingly. Then Sora suddenly announced that he was going out.

"Where are you going?" I asked as he sped around to get ready.

"To the mall!"

"Why? We can come with you."

"No! I'm gonna get you something for your birthday!"

"Sora, I don't need anything."

"Yes you do!"

"When's your birthday?" Naminé joined in.

"Next Tuesday!" Sora exclaimed before I could stop him.

"Don't make a big deal about it," I said quickly.

"Oh my gosh, why didn't you tell me?" Naminé blinked.

"It's just a birthday…"

"Bye!" And Sora was out the door.

"Sorry," I apologized. "He's always like that."

"He's nice."

"What do you wanna do now?"

"Draw?" Her eyes lit up. Of course she wanted to draw me.

I agreed and she had me sit on the bed, to "just draw my face." I tried to get comfortable, but soon I was really really bored. Then she let me turn on the TV, which was better; I watched some murder mysteries while she studied me and scribbled and erased. These shows were always so graphic and sad. If I was an artist like Naminé, I'd probably draw a bunch of creepy stuff.

Two shows ended before she was finished.

My legs rushed with relief as I stretched. "Can I see?"

"No!" She pressed her sketch pad against her chest protectively.

"Alright, alright."

Naminé scooted herself onto my bed, a strand of hair falling into her face. "TV?"

"Sure," I shrugged.

Breaking Bad was on tonight. I didn't follow it religiously, but had caught bits of it, mostly from channel surfing. It was basically about a high school chemistry teacher who gets cancer and starts making meth to pay his bills, which seemed pretty interesting to—

"This show is kinda creepy." Naminé wrinkled her nose.

"Creepy?"

"Think about it."

"…yeah?" My brain wasn't coming up with much. Maybe the violence was too much.

"Yeah!"

"I don't follow."

"Any of our teachers could be drug dealers!"

I paused, processing this, and gave a loud, surprised laugh. "Oh."

Naminé looked startled. "Sometimes my thoughts are strange, I guess."

"Nah, mine are too."

The show was flashing piercingly with guns and family drama, and Naminé had started leaning onto my shoulder, saying she was getting tired. My reasonable response was quickly deflected—she didn't want to go home yet I guess. I was pretty relaxed at least. It was already dark outside, but we were carefully tucked in my room, the light shining overhead. Sora's stuff was in the corner, the board game right on top. I still needed to tidy a bit but that could wait. Naminé's weight was pressed against my side as we leaned against my bedroom wall, the TV turned towards us so we could see it better.

Her hair was on my face. It smelled like strawberry shampoo.

I went to brush it away, and she bounced.

Well, not bounce. Naminé is much too shy to be described that way.

Rather, while my face was turned towards her, she leaned a tiny bit and planted a kiss on my lips. Before I could think anything, she said, "I really like you, Roxas. I hope you like me too…" Her cheeks were pink.

"I..like you too," I managed, my face also on fire.

An awkward second ticked by and then she abruptly turned back to the TV. I followed suit.

There was a sudden slam of the door, and, out of instinct, I jumped up. "What was that?" There was no one in the room.

"Your roommate?"

I went to the door, and upon opening it, saw a flash of red down the hallway. "Yeah, I guess he had to grab something." I came back.

We finished the episode, and she left not too long after that.

The weekend was very strange. And not in a good way. I barely saw Sora because of his numerous excuses to not be around. Something had to be wrong. I must've done something…but my brother never acted that way. We were always by each other's sides as kids. In fact, a lot of people thought we were twins, which is silly but…I can remember one day while we were at the playground. We couldn't have been more than seven years old, and we were by ourselves because this playground was right on our street. It was nice, with swings and a jungle gym and loads of other equipment, although the picnic tables were scratched with words neither of us knew. And Sora got himself hurt. He fell off the monkey bars, and scraped his knees.

"I'm dyingggggggggggggg!" he screeched. "Roxasssssss."

My little brother held onto his bloody knees, and I ran to him. He refused to go anywhere, insisting that he would die there.

"Shut up," my kid self snapped.

Sora stopped, his eyes wide. "Don't say bad words."

And I dragged him home and after he received band aids from my mom, he was all over me. Saying I had saved his life and we should get married so I could always protect him.

Of course, that was when he didn't realize that getting married involved a different relationship than what we had. And was normally between non-related, heterosexual couples.

My mom thought it was cute, at least.

I felt a pang in my chest remembering that.

It wasn't just Sora. It was Axel.

He hadn't been in our room ALL WEEKEND. All his stuff is here! Where could he have gone? I considered trying to text him, but I had never done it much. We'd had each other's numbers since the start of school, in case we got locked out or something; the last time I had used it, I was lost and he responded with "Just walk a bunch! ;)". So I didn't want any of that. I almost missed him..I mean, _almost_. He was a familiar presence, is all.

And I could get more advice about Naminé.

Because, the truth is, I feel more confused than ever. I had all these expectations—for kissing, I mean—but none of them have been met! Shouldn't I have felt electricity? Seen heaven? Wanted to kiss more? I now felt awkward and dreaded seeing her because she would probably want to kiss more.

Maybe I just read too many books.

I went through three this weekend while everything was weird.

Sora returned home Sunday, and that night as I was settling into bed, the door opened and Axel finally appeared. He looked worn out.

The light was off, and instead of turning it on like usual, he kept the small kitchen light on only and slipped into the bathroom. He went to bed himself without saying anything to me.

He probably thought I was asleep.

XxXxXxX

Sora told me that the family had wanted to show up and surprise me on my birthday, but my dad was busy with a new business deal. I didn't care too much; Sora and my mom would just be too cheerful and loud, and my dad would look like he didn't want to be here.

And, besides, it was a weekday, as my mother reminded me.

I wasn't sure if she said that because she wanted me to study, or because of my dad's work.

Oh well.

I woke up thinking about my age, nineteen. Not that old. And that was all I thought about it until the spam came.

I don't like attention, and birthdays always give you attention. I was glad that I hadn't told anyone about it. When Axel made no big fuss about anything, I was glad (putting aside that he had barely said two words to me lately). My classes were dull. I got a few texts from old friends, which was ok. I loved my high school friends.

The point I am getting to, the thing I wasn't too glad about: Naminé showing up out of nowhere with a giant cake. Seriously, out of nowhere. One second, I am typing on my computer and the next, a scowling Axel is leading Naminé to me. She was smiling meekly, the cake overtaking her small frame. It was covered in white frosting and small blue flowers.

"Sorry, it was the only one I could find at the store," she explained. "Happy birthday!"

We set it on the counter while Axel asked, "It's your birthday?"

"Yeah," I said flatly.

"Oh. Happy birthday."

"Thanks."

Axel, looking unpleased for whatever reason, made himself busy on the other side of the room. "You didn't have to," I told Naminé.

"I wanted to! And I would've drawn something too if I had had enough notice."

..did she just give me one of those fake dirty looks? "Sorry, not too keen on attention."

"Oh, me neither." She looked at the cake as if she wanted to regret bringing it here. But I smiled to put her mind at ease, and we both had a slice. It was a rich vanilla flavor.

As we were finishing, I asked Axel if he wanted any. He didn't. He left a few minutes later.

"So," Naminé paused.

"Yes?"

"Can I draw your roommate?"

".._Axel_?"

"Yeah…"

"Oh, uhh, I dunno if he'll let you." At that moment I realized we were alone and I was already feeling awkward. Oh god. As long as I could keep her from kissing me, we could carry on like this. Maybe for forever. Or at least until we graduated. Because there's no way I was gonna…break up with her or anything. I like hanging out! I just don't like kissing.

Can you imagine if I made her _cry_? Those large innocent eyes filling with tears..she'd hate me forever…

"Have you planned anything special?"

"No," I shook my head. "My family couldn't make it, so I was just gonna stay in."

"We should go out somewhere," she said firmly. "You need to get your mind off things."

"Things?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, uh, you seem different, that's all."

"Oh ok…"

"Want to go swimming maybe?"

"I've been swimming a thousand times," I said, thinking of Sora. He loved the water.

"But there's a free pool on campus!"

"Oh is there?" I am not telling Sora that.

"Yeah, let's go."

"Alright," I agreed reluctantly.

I hated the floor of the locker room. And the locker room itself, really. Half the lighting was out, the tiles were slimy underneath my feet, and I was already feeling self conscious of my skinny physique. At least it was empty, the rows of lockers looking bleak. My reflection was alright in the mirror. I stared for a second, then went out to meet Naminé.

I stood there uncomfortably for a few minutes. The place was empty except for a muscular lifeguard and…god, Axel and Demyx were hanging out in the deep end, splashing each other like morons.

"Hi," Naminé greeted.

She was wearing a white bikini. The top tied around her back, and two straps also went up to tie at her neck. It had a little ruffle to it, and she was beaming at me.

"Ready?" I asked after my split second survey of her outfit.

"Yes." We stepped in and I noticed the two guys noticing us but I looked the other way.

The water tingled my body; it was too cold at first, but after it came up to my neck, I started getting used to it. We floated around the shallow end for a little while.

"Isn't that your roommate?" Naminé asked.

"Nope."

"Oh, I could've sworn—"

"ROXAS!"

I was engulfed by water. Some flew up my nose painfully, and I seized, thrashing my way back towards the light. I surfaced, coughing up a storm. My throat and nose stung. Demyx was throwing his head back, laughing; I saw Axel in the background, smirking slightly. Naminé was asking if I was ok.

"You asshole," I snarled. Demyx dove into the water like a dolphin and was back in the deep end within seconds, Axel following.

"Are you ok?" Naminé got really close to me, concerned.

"Yeah, yeah." I kicked the bottom of the pool to launch myself backwards.

"You know, I'm pretty sure that was your roommate."

"Oh, maybe."

Later, when I confronted Axel about his friend, he shrugged it off.

I haven't even been helping him with stats lately. I snuck a peek at his papers the other day and he's been getting D's on quizzes. But whenever I offer to help, he says he's fine.

I'm not so sure.

**Please review. 3**

**~KeedaxEmry**


	8. Halloween

Everything was wrong.

Well, maybe that was an exaggeration. But Halloween was here, and the only people I have really been talking to are Naminé and Zexion. I missed Sora. I somehow missed Axel. My days became a blur of class and sleep; I don't want to say I was _depressed_ but…well I had pills for that so I definitely wasn't. Axel had become more unbearable. At the start of the year, he had been just as impossible, but in vastly different ways. He teased me. He was loud, and he was always clogging the shower drain. The day it flooded from his long hair, he laughed about it and yelled at me to get a boat. The damage wasn't that bad, because my stuff wasn't on the floor; it was like stepping in a swamp, however. Management fixed it quickly, giving a stern word to Axel. He saluted them as if he was a mere soldier and they were in command. That made them mad.

Recently he was very different. He avoided me, he always seemed moody. I never hung out with him anymore, and not only because he never seemed to be around. Also, the shower drain was always clean. It was a strange development I guess. I really wanted to talk about Naminé. She had tried to kiss me again the other day and I pretended to sneeze. I think that hurt her feelings.

And Sora kept stopping by on the weekends but he always went out somewhere.

People are so weird.

On the plus side, I found this really convenient video store. It was right off of campus, and pretty cheap. I stopped by there today to get ready for my Halloween. My checklist: tons of horror movies and candy. I was planning to spend the night alone. Right after I was done, I'd head to my room and camp out all the night..I didn't need anyone to spend it with.

As a kid, Sora and I had always gone trick or treating together. Sometimes our costumes matched. I was sure he was still going out, but I was too old now. And I don't have a costume, just a half used tube of fake blood.

I was reaching for a copy of Jeepers Creepers when a voice said, "I love that one."

To my astonishment, the voice belonged to my best friend from high school, Hayner. He was grinning, wearing his typical army pants. "Shit," I managed. "What are you doing here?"

He punched my arm. "I can't spend Halloween without you! And Jeepers Creepers, great choice."

"I was not getting it!" I insisted, thrusting it back on the shelf. He loved that movie and I always complained that it was stupid…but we watched it every year, and it wouldn't feel like Halloween without it.

Hayner picked it back up. "We're watching it."

"How did you get here?"

"Bus. It's not that far," he shrugged.

"Did anyone else come?" I asked, a little touched that he came all this way.

"Olette and your brother. Don't know where the kid ran off to, though."

"What about Pence?"

"His mom is mad about his grades."

"Oh…so how did you know I'd be here?"

"You told Sora, remember? Is college making you that stupid?"

"Hey!"

"Roxas!" Olette finally appeared, wrapping me in a hug. "I missed you."

It was really nice seeing my old friends. I smiled at them, and we ended up getting a ton of stuff. We dumped them all on the counter, and the person working, a balding man, laughed. "You really gonna watch these all?"

"Yep," I said happily. He checked us out and then we headed to the local grocery store.

It was cool inside, and quiet save for Hayner's voice trying to fill me in on everything. They had both graduated with me, but Olette was taking a year off school to work and save up money. She was a waitress and always had stories to tell me; Hayner on the other hand was taking classes at our community college.

Soon we were loaded down with chips, soda, and candy. As we made our way to my room, Olette asked, "Are you sure it'll be ok if we spend the night?"

"No one cares. And I have a sleeping bag."

"Only one?"

"Me and Olette call your bed," Hayner smirked.

"No," she frowned. "And what about Sora?"

Turns out, we didn't need to worry about him. He sent me a text to say he was gonna spend the night at a friend's. I guess he had found friends here, and was busy with them.

We had decorated ourselves in my fake blood, and we even had costumes, kinda. Olette put on cute little cat ears, gloves, and a tail. She was a cat who got hit by a car, since the fake blood was everywhere. Hayner dressed like a werewolf.

Then he pulled out this little tattered white thing and I said, "No no no no no."

"Come on!" He grabbed me and wrestled me to the ground. I knew what he was holding. The one bet I had lost to him had resulted in me dressing as a nurse from one of our horror video games. It had a short skirt, high heeled shoes, and one of those hats with the cross on it. The only good part was the large knife I got to carry around, but other than that it was just embarrassing.

"No way! I only had to wear it once!"

His arms grabbed around mine, pulling me back into his grip. "But it's hilarious!"

"Hayner," Olette said disapprovingly, although I could see a tiny smile on her face.

"Get off." I wiggled with more enthusiasm, and he started trying to pull my shirt off.

Then Axel, Demyx, Larxene and Zexion entered the room. I could see their shoes nearby, and Hayner had stopped trying to strip me. My face on fire, not helped by the fact that my cheek was rubbing against the carpet, I seized the opportunity, and shoved Hayner as hard as I could. He fell backwards and I jumped to my feet.

"…hi," Axel said. The group was all in costume; they had some kind of sexy, torture theme going on.

"Hi. This is my roommate, Axel," I introduced. "Hayner and Olette."

"Where's your girlfriend?"

"She's busy."

"Girlfriend?" Olette and Hayner echoed, confused.

"Yeah, the weird little one," Axel continued.

Larxene gave a shrill laugh at that.

"Yo, that can't be right, cause—"

I tackled Hayner and we were both on the ground again, wrestling. Demyx began egging us on, but we weren't seriously fighting. Just struggling with each other.

"What is _this_?" Zexion asked horrified. He was holding up something white while the rest of his friends were situating themselves in the room.

"That's what Roxas will be—" I shoved my fist in Hayner's stomach, actually knocking the wind out of him.

"Oh shit, you ok?" I climbed off him. Zexion had dropped the nurse outfit like it was diseased.

Hayner put his hand to his chest, taking a deep raspy breath—then kicked me in the stomach. I fell over in pain and I could hear at least one person howling with laughter. "You win," I grumbled.

"Are you gonna wear it?" Olette asked, hopeful. Whose side was she on?

"Sure, sure, just no more kicking." I shot Hayner a dirty look, and he responded with a wide grin.

"Sweet!" he exclaimed.

"You're gonna wear this?" Axel held up the outfit for everyone to see.

"It was a bet," I muttered. "Don't you guys have somewhere to be?"

"Yep, we're going to a party. Then we're gonna do some tricks."

"Have fun," I said flatly.

"I saw your brother there already."

"…_what_?"

Axel shrugged. "We'll meet him there."

"You will not!"

"Sora wouldn't go to a party," Olette put in.

"Yeah, are you lying to my friend?" Hayner jumped up, wrapping his arm protectively around my shoulders.

"Nope."

"We should probably get going," Zexion said quickly.

"There's no way Sora is.." I started, images of horrible things rushing into my mind.

But they were already on their way out the door. I grabbed Zexion and hissed, "If he's there, can you tell me?" He agreed.

So I put on my costume, and we began our movie marathon. During our second movie, Zexion texted me to confirm that Sora was indeed at the party.

I jumped off the bed, making Olette tip over and fall onto her side. "What's up, Roxas?" she asked.

"My freaking brother," I explained, shaking in rage.

Hayner looked up at me, his hand still rustling around in a bag of chips. "He at that party?"

"Yes! I'm gonna kill him!" I stormed around the room, grabbing my things. I was out the door within seconds, and I heard them frantically trying to catch up, the TV going silent in the middle of a scream.

"Roxas, calm down!" Olette grabbed my arm. I was already out of the building and people were giving me weird looks.

"Yeah, really," Hayner agreed. "He's old enough to make his own decisions."

"Not old enough to be at a college party!" I shrieked.

"Do you even know where you're going?"

I stopped abruptly on the sidewalk. It was dark outside, save for a few lampposts, and my legs were feeling cold for some reason.

…because I was still in that stupid outfit. "Why didn't you guys stop me!" I gestured to myself.

"You're too quick," Olette apologized.

"Well, I'll be quick with this and no one will notice this thing." I slid my phone out of my pocket, and called Zexion. Above the loud background noise, he told me where to go. He also said not to freak out. Whatever.

The party was at a house a few blocks away. I let myself in the front door without knocking, which made Olette visibly nervous. "Maybe we shouldn't…"

"It'll just take a minute." Inside there were red cups everywhere, people milling around in terrible costumes. The music was loud and generic—the worst kind. And oh god a couple was making out on the couch.

I pushed past people, and immediately some guy whistled at me, saying, "Where have you been all my life, sexy?"

"People think you're a girl," Hayner laughed.

"Let's keep it that way," I hissed, grabbing the two of them and going in further. Olette had wide eyes, scanning everything, while Hayner just looked like he was enjoying the show. Almost everyone here was drunk.

I finally saw someone I knew. Too bad it was Axel.

"Where's Sora?" I demanded.

"Hell if I know." He took a sip of his drink, his eyes traveling up and down my body. "Cute."

"You'd better tell us right now," Hayner threatened.

"He was outside the last time I saw him," he shrugged.

I shoved my way to a sliding glass door that led to a backyard. Someone in the crowd had the nerve to slap my butt.

And there was my brother. He was leaning against the house, tipping a cup to his mouth, and watching the people horse around. When he saw me, he jumped as if I was a ghost.

I knocked his cup out of his hands and onto the grass, spraying a light colored liquid everywhere. "We're leaving," I snarled.

"But—"

I grabbed his wrist and forcefully dragged him away. He was already claiming that he was drinking apple juice.

Zexion appeared. "Roxas, wait a second."

"No." I kept my grip firm and walked around to the front of the house.

"It really was apple juice," he called after me.

"It better have been," I muttered.

"You're hurting me!" Sora complained. I let go of him once we were far enough away, Hayner and Olette behind us, looking a little embarrassed.

"Why are you being so stupid?" I snapped.

He promptly started crying. "I wasn't doing anything stupid I was just hanging out with my friends and they wanted to go," he said in a long, hard to understand rush.

"Don't you dare—"

"Roxas," Olette cut in. "Let's just head back, ok?"

So we walked back to my room. Sora's sniffing was the only sound.

At my door, I sighed, my anger now fading. I fished in my pocket for my key. I couldn't find it, so I dug through my other pocket.

Not there either.

Shit.

I checked them again, and then again, while the three of them stared at me.

"Did you forget your key?" Hayner finally asked.

"No!" I checked again. "Maybe."

"Get Axel to open it?" Olette suggested.

"I guess I have to." I called him a few times, but he never answered. I sent him a text and we all sat in the lobby to wait.

Sora, who was a little cheered up already, suggested a word game. Olette played with him, while I glared at the walls. Axel showed up an hour later, staring at us.

"Come on," he gestured. We followed him and after he let us in, he promptly left again.

Sora fell asleep pretty quickly and we finished the rest of our movies.

XxXxXxX

The next day, a Sunday, they all left before lunch time. I took a shower to wash off all the blood and sat on my computer for the duration of the morning.

"You found your key, right?" Axel asked. He was sitting up in bed, finishing up a cup of coffee.

"Where is this sudden concern coming from?" I mocked.

"I was just asking," he mumbled, setting his mug on his nightstand with a loud clank.

"How's stats?" I asked sarcastically. I wasn't in the best of moods, considering Halloween was pretty much ruined.

"Fine." He got out of bed, shaking his hair like a dog for some reason.

"I swear," I breathed to myself.

"Don't let me bother you," he said, irritated.

I looked up. "What's _wrong_ with you?"

"What's wrong with you?!" he exclaimed back. "Sora wasn't doing anything wrong!"

"He shouldn't have been there!" I stood up, getting in his face. "And if you were my friend, you wouldn't have let him go there in the first place!"

"We aren't friends," he said darkly.

"I noticed!"

We stopped for a second, each of us taking deep, quick breaths. "Maybe it'd be better if we weren't roommates anymore."

"Is this about the key?" I rolled my eyes. "Cause that was one time!"

"No," he snarled. "You probably just want some alone time."

"Alone time?"

"With your girlfriend! Have you done her yet?" Axel's face was getting closer to mine, his face contorted with anger.

"What?" I asked, taken aback.

He shook his head, disgusted. "She's a slut."

I lost it at that, blind with rage. The next thing I knew, I slammed my fist into Axel's face. He took a step back, a hand up to where I had hit him, looking surprised.

"Roxas—" he started.

"Shut up, Axel," I half shouted. "I can't stand you."

Oh god, my eyes were getting hot with tears. No way would he see me cry; I tried desperately to stop it but he didn't give me enough time to cry anyway.

"Why'd you have to kiss her?"

And he was gone.


	9. Hide Out

The next day, the only person I really talked to was Olette, who had called to double check that I had a girlfriend. They still thought I was gay for some reason.

After getting off the phone, I pushed myself off my bed with a sigh. Axel wasn't back yet. He must've slept somewhere else last night, and skipped class..I looked over at where his backpack sat, hunched over on the floor. This wasn't good. I actually did cry yesterday, after Axel stormed out. I just felt so confused. And Naminé kept sending cutesy texts, which I hated. Maybe I should talk to her…

So I guess Axel had seen us kiss?

But I don't see how that makes Naminé a slut. I don't see how it would be problem at all.

I took turns staring at the wall, staring at the ceiling, staring at my computer screen, then staring at my most recent book. But I couldn't concentrate. A weird, nervous energy was building and I had to do something.

I turned my mp3 all the way up, and went for a walk. A long long walk. There was a definite chill in the air, and I began wishing I had thought of grabbing my gloves. I guess I would have to deal with Naminé myself; again,I did like her, I think, but I wasn't too keen on kissing. And that meant something was off. Unless we had kissed too soon? That's a thing right? I just wasn't ready, surely.

I pondered this for a few songs, looping through random streets as the sun started to set. Would I _ever_ like kissing Naminé? I would just be happy to hang out normally…I'm just too confused right now, I decided. I'll just make sure we're not actually dating. No harm with that. We had never said anything official.

..I'm not just doing this so Axel will stop being mad?

Of course not. No. He was being an idiot, letting my brother put himself in danger. I had just realized he wasn't the person to ask for relationship advice, and with everything going on, I didn't have the time for a girlfriend. Yes. A girlfriend who liked me more than I liked her.

_Are we dating? _I texted her.

She quickly responded with a _Yes, I think so…why?_ Damn it.

I started heading back to my room, my fingers getting a little numb. _I don't think we should_, I typed, freaking out a tiny bit. Send before you can over think it, Roxas.

_Oh ok._

Oh ok? That's all she can say! I swung the door open, kicking my shoes off. I was a little peeved but..mostly relieved. Maybe she didn't like me after all! Thank god.

On Tuesday, she didn't show up to sit next to me in class, and I finally saw her after it ended. I ran through the horde of people, grabbing her shoulder. "Naminé!" I said, breathless.

She looked started. "Oh hi."

We stared at each other and I cleared my throat. "So, uh, want to go out to eat sometime?"

"Yeah, sure, I just need some time."

"Time? For what?"

"You," she lowered her voice, "broke up with me right?"

"Oh, uh, I guess."

She gave a tiny shrug. "I liked you a lot."

"I'm sorry…" I said, deflated.

"No, no, it's ok!"

"Alright…"

"I'll see you later!" She smiled, and rushed away.

So that was that.

I knew Axel was going to show up eventually, but I wasn't feeling up to it just yet. I was feeling pretty alone at this point. I thought about a rude comment my mom made once about "teenage angst" and pushed away my negative thoughts; college was just a transition. Naminé would want to hang out again soon, and I still had plenty of other friends.

Anyway, Axel was in the shower. That gave me a few minutes to decide if I wanted to leave again or put on a brave face and stay. Since I had already grabbed a bagged lunch to eat here, I stayed. I sat at my desk, balancing a sandwich on my lap, and browsed the internet. I heard Axel exit the bathroom but kept my eyes firmly on my webpage. Now he was shuffling through his stuff, a towel wrapped around his waist.

Wait not looking.

I started to scroll. I was on a blogging website and pictures were sprawled all over, showing anything from animals to anime. Axel was behind me. I stared forward.

"Roxas."

I should've put headphones on, because then I could have pretended not to hear him. "Busy," I said instead.

"Get off the computer and talk to me."

"I'm busy."

"With kittens?"

"Yes," I said stubbornly. The blog was indeed showing a large picture of an orange tabby kitten. It was actually pretty adorable.

Axel had the nerve to kick my chair so I finally looked over at him. "What?" I asked.

"Sorry for calling your girlfriend a slut."

"Good." I turned back to my laptop.

"And?"

"And what?"

"Sorry for punching you in the face, Axel."

I scoffed. "I wouldn't say that."

"I know." He stuck his tongue out, looking more like his normal self.

"Uh…sorry," I muttered. That was all he was gonna get.

"What?" he gasped, pretending to be in shock. "Roxas doesn't know that word!"

"Shut up."

"Now those are the words you know," he laughed. "And seriously, Roxas…"

"Yes?"

"I know you hate me for it, but I really don't think you should baby your brother."

I gave him a look. "Getting him away from illegal activity is not babying."

"Even so. He's the only seventeen year old I know whose idea of a good time is watching five Disney movies in a row."

"A lot of people would love doing that."

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah, yeah," I muttered. Ok, so maybe I did baby Sora a bit. But he needed it! Without me, he'd probably be dead in a ditch or curled up in a ball crying somewhere. I'm sure he'd grow up eventually, and would need me less, but…maybe that was already happening. Axel was walking away too quickly for me to ask. "Axel?" I asked anyway.

"What's up?"

"Two questions. Maybe three," I said carefully.

He looked up from where he was bending over his dresser. To my horror, he began getting dressed with a cheery, "Ask away."

I focused my eyes away from him so that none of him was in view. "Uhh…"

"Yes?"

"Hold on a second, I forgot what I wanted to ask."

He chuckled. "Am I too naked for you?"

I blushed. "Uh..oh, do you think Sora is growing up right now?"

"Of course."

"Alright..and uh why aren't you mad anymore?"

"No reason to be."

"Oh ok. And how do you break up with someone but still hang out with them?"

Axel was coming towards me, throwing a shirt on over his head. "You broke up?" he asked, confused.

"Uh maybe."

"No."

"No?"

"You can't break up with her just because of what I said!"

"No, that wasn't the reason," I shook my head.

Axel fell onto the floor in front of me, sitting. His eyes were narrowed as if he was trying to figure something out. "So what was the reason?"

The color in my face flushed again thinking of the reason. "Well…to be honest…no, never mind."

"Tell meeeeee," he whined.

"Well, you know how we kissed?" I asked, embarrassed. He was staring at me so intently, using his butt to rock forward and back a little. It was something Sora would do.

"Yep."

"Yeah…which you saw or something."

"Yep."

"Um, well I didn't like it."

"Why not? Too much tongue?"

"No tongue!" I shrieked, horrified.

"Then why?"

"I dunno." I looked away.

"Maybe you just didn't like her in a romantic way."

"Yeah."

I gave a surprised gasp when Axel wrapped his arms around my stomach, lifting me high into the air. "What are you doing?" I tried to kick him.

"My friend just had a break up. I need to cheer you up!"

"Oh, so we're friends now?" I asked wryly.

"Yep!" He started spinning me and within seconds I was dizzy.

"Stop!"

Laughing, he set me on the ground, and my stomach gave a weird flip. "Ready then?" Axel asked, clearly excited. His behavior was a complete 360 from how he had been recently.

"Ready for what? And are you _happy_ about my break up?"

He got really close to my face. "I don't want my roomie to be in an unsatisfying relationship."

I laughed nervously. "I wouldn't call it that."

"Let's go!" He marched towards the door.

"Go where?"

XxXxXxX

We went to Axel's "hide out."

It was a dingy arcade in the mall. It was tucked into the corner, and the floors looked permanently stained. The air smelled like cheap, fruity candy, and the place was empty save for a kid with sand colored hair. He looked up from his fighting game for a split second, looking skeptical, and went back to pounding the buttons. The screen lit up his face. He must've been about twelve.

"You're kidding right?"

"Nope!" Axel said cheerfully, leading the way to a racing game. "Go ahead."

I slid into one of the seats, and Axel sat next to me, shoving coins into the slots. The game started, making the seat rumble underneath me. It jolted me around, and I grabbed onto the fake wheel. Axel creamed me in the race, which I expected if he was serious about hanging out here all the time.

We also played a few shooter games and a pinball machine, among a few random others. Axel tried to drag me onto a dancing one. I refused. He did manage to get me onto the game pad of it, but I made no moves. He did all the dancing. I watched his feet press the buttons with ease. He was jumping around, shooting me smiles, and moving his body this way and that while the poppy music played. With his lanky body, he should've been awkward and clumsy, but somehow he was the opposite.

The track ended, and Axel stopped, panting slightly. "Oh, man, I love this place."

"I don't see why."

"You don't? This place is magic!"

I looked around. That kid was gone but now one of the lights was flickering above our heads. "Magic. Yeah."

"Also, you didn't dance at all." He shook his head disapprovingly.

"I don't dance."

"You shall!"

He grabbed my hand. "Oh god, Axel, no. No—"

He was spinning me again, laughing. I stumbled along the dirty carpeted floor, Axel's warm hand wrapped around mine as he whipped me this way and that. He was out of his mind, clearly. First off, someone might see us! A few shoppers passed by every once in a while, usually paying this silly arcade no mind. Also, there was no music so there was no reason to dance _and_ I don't dance.

His hand suddenly let go of mine, probably because of my fevered protests, and I slipped backwards, landing on my butt. Shit.

"Are you ok?" Axel rushed over to me.

I glared at him. "I'd be better if we never did that again."

"But..it was fun," he said in a tiny voice.

"At least put on music next time!" I exclaimed, getting up. I wasn't hurt, although that floor was pretty hard.

"So…there will be a next time then?"

"No!"

"No?"

"No."

"Hey, Roxas." He leaned against one of the machines, surveying me.

"What?"

"Can I say something crazy?"

"Everything you say is crazy."

"True," he laughed. "Well never mind. Let's head back."

"You can't do that!"

"Hmm?" He looped his arm around my shoulders as if I was a convenient rest, and we made our way back outside to his car.

"Start to say something then take it back."

"Oh? I can't?" He looked amused.

"That's right," I insisted, letting myself into the passenger's seat.

"I think I can do what I want."

"No!"

Axel turned on the ignition, and his music was already blasting with him singing along. "Axel!" I shouted over it.

"Hmmm? Can't hear you, Roxie," he grinned.


	10. My Spider Sense

I was experiencing a little..problem.

Nothing that couldn't be fixed, of course.

Sunlight was streaming into my eyes, almost blinding me, while my roommate seemed to be dancing around. How the hell was he awake? I quickly became aware of my situation. I suppose I had X-rated dreams—of no particular nature!—and had woken up to a stirring _down there_. Which is quite issue, obviously, was that if Axel noticed, he would probably torment and tease me. I shifted my legs, and my blanket hid any evidence. Then I nestled back into my pillow, pretending to be asleep, and waited for my body to return to normal.

"He is taking forever," I heard Axel whine. Sounds of rustling reached my ears, almost perking my curiosity.

I waited another few minutes before slowly opening my eyes. And yes! Axel was busy typing something into his computer. Jumping out of bed, I bolted to the bathroom, home free.

I wrestled my shirt over my head, and began to kick my pants to the floor when I sensed something was off. Sora called it My Spider Sense. Sure enough, a large, black spider was crawling up my leg. My heart leapt just as a half-scream escaped my lips, and I began to flail around, kicking the dreaded thing off. It dashed underneath my pile of pajamas, and I was out of the bathroom in the next second.

Axel stood by, confused. "Are you ok?"

"Yep," I managed. "Just decided to not take a shower today."

Axel's eyes went up and down, taking in my panicked state and the fact that I was only wearing underwear now. I might've been embarrassed if I still hadn't felt as though someone was trying to kill me. I had this horrible phobia of spiders…I knew they couldn't hurt me, at least that most of them couldn't, but the second I saw one, adrenaline poured into my veins as if I was staring at an axe murder, not something crawling on the wall that could be smashed with a hand. Just thinking about it makes me shudder, and I repressed the urge to check my body all over.

"Is that so?" Axel asked slowly. "You left your clothes in the bathroom." He was peeking inside.

"Uh, I don't need them."

To my horror, he was picking them up and walking towards me. "Want me to put them in your laundry basket?"

"No!" I backed up to the far corner of the room.

"What is it?" Axel began examining the clothing for proof.

"There's a—oh god." There it was. Now crawling onto Axel's arm.

Axel stared at it for a few seconds then, to my astonishment, he simply lifted his other arm and slapped it. He looked up, grinning, and held out his palm, which was covered in spider guts. "Did you want it?"

"No!"

He got a tissue and wiped it off, and I put my clothing in the hamper. My heart was finally calming. We awkwardly stood there for a few seconds, and then I raced back into the bathroom. After a quick shower, I found Axel waiting for me. He was perched on his bed, holding something on his lap.

"What's that?" I asked suspiciously, rubbing my head with a towel to dry my hair.

"Your birthday present!"

"It's not my birthday."

"I kinda missed it, remember?"

He handed me a small package that was wrapped in..aluminum foil. "What the hell is this? A baked potato?"

"It was all I could find," he laughed. "I didn't even use tape."

I unwrapped it, only a little eagerly, and gave a tiny gasp. The cover was a confusing mix of grays, and the back was blank, save for a few frantic scribbles on the bottom. No doubt about it, it was the new The Sprinkles CD. "How did you…"

"I preordered it! I figured if you did the same, I could just keep it."

"I didn't." I flipped it open, relishing the band's strange style. "I thought it came out next week?"

"When you preorder, you get it early. Didn't you know that, Roxie?"

I paused. "Thanks, Axel."

"You're welcome." He was leaning forward towards me, his eyes bright and happy.

"Do you…you wanna listen to it now?" I asked shyly.

"Yes!" Axel bounced up and we put the CD into his stereo. I had the honors of pressing play.

We both sat down, and I closed my eyes, relishing every sound. The Sprinkles were amazing. They were a band that didn't just release a few songs I liked—I liked them all. And they did everything themselves. They wrote the music, and no auto tune was ever involved. The first song was about loving a girl who was always distant and never noticed the singer's feelings, which was a common theme in music, I know. But mixed with their screaming guitars, and his gruff voice, made it feel like it had never been done before. Axel had started off looking very excited, although now he looked…a tiny bit sad.

"Axel?"

"Huh?" His head snapped up to look at me. I had clearly broken into his thoughts. _She stared at the wall every day/It would never be the same/How could I give her up? _The song continued a little more violently, with images of white and broken glass.

"You ok?" I asked over the noise. We had turned it up a bit.

"Yeah."

"This happened to you?"

"Oh..uh. yeah something like that." He brushed it off. "Great song."

"Yeah it is," I agreed. "And eleven more to go!"

We sat there through the whole thing and by the time I stood up, my legs were stiff and my stomach was begging for food. We grabbed lunch at the dining hall, and afterwards, stood outside, unsure of what to do next.

The wind was strong today, and was biting my cheeks. "Are you gonna go hang out with Demyx or something?" I asked. I kinda wanted to keep hanging out with Axel, but he usually spent his Saturday nights out somewhere, while I stayed in and read. Not to mention, this was the last weekend at school before the dreaded Thanksgiving break. Dreaded by me, at least.

"Uh…" Axel ran a hand through his hair, something he seemed to do often. "Well there's a party on Maple Street but I'm sure you don't want to go."

"Yeah, not my thing."

"We could always stay and play—" At that moment, both of our phones went off. I had received two texts, while someone was calling him. "Hello?" he answered, before getting into some kind of passionate argument.

My name came up a few times. It was probably Demyx with party plans.

The first text was from Naminé: _Want to hang out before break?_

That didn't take too long, I thought happily. The next text, however, was from my mom. _I'll pick you up Friday, just need to know what time you get out of class._

Sora was supposed to come get me. Oh well. I was capable of driving, everyone in my family had a license, but the cars stayed at home. My dad's, which he used for work, and my mom's, which Sora used half the time. She should've let me take it to college, and then I wouldn't have to worry about getting rides.

"I already made plans," Axel was complaining, agitated. "Fine, fine. Ok!"

He got off the phone, stepping back towards me with an apology.

"What was that?" I asked.

"Demyx," he sighed. "I'm getting dragged to that party whether I like it or not."

"Why?" We started to walk back to our room.

"Well, apparently Zexion can't make it and he needs me to get him in."

"Get him in? What, they have a bouncer?"

"No," he laughed. "Just a lot of people don't like Demyx."

I snorted. "Wonder why."

"So," he glanced at me. "You can come if you want."

"Yeah right."

"It'd be fun!"

"Somehow I doubt that."

"Please?" he begged.

"Why do you want me to go so bad?"

"Demyx gets annoying after a while!"

"Well…ok, but only because you got me that CD."

"Sweet!"

"And you're not allowed to get drunk."

"Whatever you want Roxie!"

XxXxXxX

So I found myself at a another stupid party, identical to the last one. I was determined to spend the entire night leaning against this wall and judging everyone. And trying to figure out why people liked these things. I had a suspicion that they only did it for peer acceptance, because this sort of thing was perceived as "cool." Why else would they blast terrible music, sleep with strangers, and drink until they were ready to pass out? I was in the dimly lit living room, watching people play beer pong on the coffee table. Everywhere were red cups, and couples kept disappearing upstairs. The girls weren't wearing enough, and would shuffle around, usually in groups, flirting and giggling. The guys were loud and always seemed to be chugging a liquid. I knew exactly four people here: Axel, Larxene, Marluxia and Demyx. Larxene and Marluxia were going around, chatting with people, and Demyx had finally managed to drag Axel away from me, to go play pool or something. Now I was alone.

Well, maybe not exactly alone. There was a girl leaning against the same wall. She was a tiny bit shorter than me, with short, neat, black hair. She was either bored or nervous.

I took to ignoring her. A few minutes later, however, she said, "Are you sure you're in the right place?"

I looked at her to make sure she was talking to me and said, "Nope."

"Me too." She reminded me of Naminé somehow. And at least she was wearing more than the rest of the girls here.

"I was ditched," I confessed.

"I really don't like parties."

"Why'd you come then?"

She gave a tiny shrug. "Wanted to try it out at least once, I guess. Maybe I can use it in my writing later on." I couldn't help wondering if she was as obsessive as Naminé, just with writing instead of drawing.

I nodded, and we fell silent.

Thankfully, Axel appeared, grabbing my wrist, animated. "I totally kicked Demyx's ass!"

"Lovely," I said dryly.

Axel noticed the girl and muttered. "Made a friend?"

"I guess."

He was holding a cup, and I shot him a look as he tipped it to his lips. "You said I couldn't get _drunk_," he whined. "This is far from drunk."

"It smells disgusting."

"You should try it."

"I'll pass."

"Alcohol is bad for you," the girl suddenly put in, checking Axel out.

"Oh yeah?" Axel put his hand on his hip, as if he cared about her opinion.

"Mhm."

"I'll keep it in mind. C'mon, Roxie." He led me upstairs, and we found another, although smaller, living room. There was a single vacant chair, which Axel let me have. I sank into the cushion gratefully. My eyes were starting to feel heavy, but falling asleep probably meant that something horrible would happen to me. "We can probably leave soon."

"Good."

He chugged the rest of his drink happily and I rolled my eyes. Then Marluxia appeared, handing him another one. "Isn't this party _dreadful_?" he asked.

"A little bit," Axel agreed. "We're heading out soon. Video games at my place?"

Marluxia shook his head, his pink hair swirling about. "Afraid not. Larxene is going to trim my hair a bit."

"Too bad." Axel took a sip. "This is pretty good."

"Isn't it?" Marluxia beamed. "Oh, there's the bitch. I'd better go."

I assumed he was talking about Larxene. Axel and I were left alone again, and I complained about the music. My roommate finished his beverage pretty quickly, and sat on the floor nearby, talking about random things. His voice was only slurring a tiny bit, and I kept glancing at him, worried. Who knew what kind of drunk he was.

"And I said—"

"Axel?" I cut in.

"Wha?" He put his head back to look up at me, grinning.

"Did you seriously get drunk?"

"No, no!"

"You seem like it."

"I only drank weak stuff. It takes a lot for me."

"Maybe Marluxia gave you strong stuff."

He paused. "Oh."

"You're supposed to get your own drinks! Don't you know that?"

"I know! Hey, Roxie, my butt hurts from this floor…" Without waiting for a response, he crawled onto the chair, expertly picking me up and sliding me onto his lap.

I blushed, moving to get off, but he wrapped his arms around my torso. "Noooo…" he whined. "You're warm."

"Get a blanket then!" I struggled.

"No!"

"Axel, you're acting like a three year old!"

"Oh man!" Demyx was laughing in front of us while I was in the middle of squirming. "Axel is so touchy when he gets drunk."

"Oh really?" I glared.

"He hasn't gotten drunk in the longest time either!"

"Can't you get him off me?"

"Sure." Demyx's hands gripped my shoulders, and lifted straight up. I hung up in the air like a doll and I cursed to myself, wishing I weighed a little more. This was ridiculous.

He set me on the ground. "We're going, Axel," I demanded.

"Alright Roxie!" Axel got to his feet ok, and followed me outside. Demyx waved goodbye, too energetically.

It didn't take long to get back, even though it was pretty dark outside. Axel held onto me the whole time, kinda giggling and taking shuffling steps. That drink had to have been s_trong_.

I only managed to turn on one light before Axel made me stop in my tracks. The lone kitchen light fell onto our faces, making everything look a little strange.

"Roxas, I think I like you!"

I finally managed to say, "We are friends now, huh?"

Axel stared at me blankly. Then he hiccupped and threw his arms around me. I pushed away, and a few minutes later we were in our beds.

My eyes adjusted, and I stared at the white ceiling. Axel was snoring softly. He had passed out very quickly, and I wondered if he would even remember this night…not that there was much to remember. I still can't seem to decide whether Axel was gay or not but…what had he meant? Why would he say something so suggestive?

I sought refuge in my mp3. I think I fell asleep around four a.m.

**I just returned to school this week, so I am going to be a bit busy. I'll do my best to update quickly, however. Thanks for reading. :)**

**~KeedaxEmry**


	11. Ice Dragon

The week went too quickly. It was Friday, and my mom would be here in a few short hours. I had hung out with Naminé a few days earlier, which wasn't awkward thankfully. I had already packed and now I had nothing to do but wait around.

Axel was in the same boat. Our luggage was pilled next to the door, and we sat around quietly. I hadn't asked him about what he had meant, when he said he might like me.

There was a solid, clear knock on the door, and I went to answer it. There was a lady standing there, seeming to glare at me. She was tall and lean, wearing a black business suit with a knee-length skirt. Rectangular shaped glasses perched on her nose, and her fiery red hair was pulled back in a neat ponytail. "Well…aren't you short?" she said disapprovingly.

"Excuse me?" I asked, shocked.

She was striding in, taking in our room with obvious disgust. Which I didn't understand. We had actually cleaned it up! I had even scrubbed the bathroom out with strong smelling cleaner.

"Axel," she said simply.

"Hi mom."

No wonder why Axel was looking moody. His mom was like a dragon.

"Let's go."

"Really," he ran a hand through his hair, "you didn't have to come pick me up. I _drive_ and—"

"I have seen that boy," she said coldly.

"Mom," Axel said quickly, glancing at me, "seriously, I don't—"

"It's one week." She drew herself up to full height. "Surely you can put up with me for seven days."

"Alright."

Suddenly, she strode up to me, sticking her hand out. I shook it; her fingers were strong and cold against my skin. "My name is Evelyn."

"Roxas," I managed. Her eyes were boring into mine, and I resisted the urge to shiver. They were the same shade as Axel's, and yet they seemed vastly different. Cold and unmoving I suppose.

"I trust you are keeping my son in good company."

I nodded.

"Very well. I hope your break is most pleasing."

Evelyn glided out of the room, Axel trailing behind. "See ya, Roxie," he muttered to me.

They left me alone to my thoughts. It took about ten minutes for the chill in the air to disappear; that woman..was not what I expected from Axel's mother to say the least. I always imagined his parents would be goofy and loud like he was; the kind of parents who don't care if you're late for your curfew, and simply make some kind of stupid joke about it. Nothing like that woman.

Another hour passed by, and my mom arrived. She was much more comforting than Evelyn. She pulled me into a giant hug the second she saw me. I greeted her, my voice muffled. She was wearing plain, light green clothes, and a giant smile. "Are you ready to go, sweetheart?" she was already asking.

"Yeah." We both grabbed a suitcase, and hurried to her car. Sitting in the passenger's seat, I felt comfortable and at home. The seats were made of plush leather, and a vanilla air freshener was stuck into one of the vents.

The chit chat was alright. I had a lot to tell her from my classes, of course.

"So Roxas," she said after we had been silent for a while. I had been staring out the window, the radio playing some pop junk she loved. I had already heard a few songs more than once in the past half hour.

"What?" I looked over and she appeared nervous. Oh great.

"I know how close you are with your brother."

"Uh-huh," I said slowly. I needed to steer away from this conversation quickly, but what could I do? I was trapped in the car, and there was no graceful way to change the subject. That's why I had wanted Sora to drive me.

"Well, I was just thinking that you could maybe help him meet someone, or try talking to him, or—"

"Mom, _no_."

"Don't be unreasonable, darling." Her voice was getting higher pitched with each word. "Your father—"

"Mom, please, drop it." I rubbed my temples, feeling an old ache there. "You already know what I think."

"I just thought it would be a good time."

"Thanksgiving is the perfect time to forget all that shit."

"Roxas! Don't curse!"

"Sorry."

"Honestly, has college changed you that much?"

"No," I muttered. "You just made me angry."

Suddenly she was digging in the side of her door, and she produced a granola bar. "You hungry?"

Nice peace offering.

When we pulled up to our house, I barely recognized it. It had to be three times bigger since I left. "Mom…"

"Isn't it nice?" We both hopped out of the car, and she beamed at me. Our house was very suburban, painted with whites and greens, and now it was bulging out on the right side, cutting into our yard. There was a tiny bit of frost on the grass, making it sparkle, and a few left over flowers were dying near the sidewalk.

"It's..bigger."

"You just have to see the new edition!"

"Edition?" I said blankly.

"ROXIE!" Sora flew through the air and caught me in a hug.

I took a few step backs to avoid falling. "Hey."

"Hi!" Sora bounced up and down. "Tour?" He looked at mom, who nodded, and then he yelled, "Tour!"

We entered and I was led through the recent changes. An entire hallway on the first floor was added; it contained three rooms. One was an office for my dad, one was a guest room, and one was another (although smaller) living room. "It's nice," I shrugged.

"I usually hang out in here now," Sora said, gesturing around the living room. My Xbox was sitting in front of a new, flat screen TV.

"Jesus," I said, barely keeping up.

"Isn't it great?"

"Where'd mom go?"

"She's baking you a pie!"

"Alright. I'm gonna go unpack, ok?"

"Ok!"

Thank god my room was the same. If they had touched it, I would have been furious.

I threw my clothes into the dresser, slamming it shut, and sitting on my old bean bag chair. I could hear the front door opening, which meant my dad was home. It was going to be a long, long week.

XxXxXxX

Sora and I were playing a board game a few days later when my dad burst into the room. He was holding a tray of cookies my mom had just baked. He set them down near us, grinning. He was a large guy who always wore suits or button down shirts. "Hey kiddos," he greeted.

"Hi!" Sora said.

"Hi," I said.

"I know we haven't had time to hang out yet since I've been busy with work, but I was thinking the three of us could go look at hot tubs."

"Hot tubs?" Sora's head shot up with interest.

"Yeah, your mother and I have decided to get one."

"Yay!" Sora jumped up.

"We're not done with our game yet," I put in, scowling. It wasn't the game I cared about. I just didn't want to spend time with this stranger.

"You can finish it later," he said, bowing out into the hallway.

I had no choice in the matter, and found myself riding along. I managed to zone out the whole experience pretty well, but I had to wonder just how much my dad had to buy before he was happy. I mean, sure, he was making a lot of money…it just all seemed so fake to me.

My phone buzzed. _Free me!,_ Axel had said.

_Free me first, _I replied.

"Who's that?!" Sora tackled me while dad discussed something with an employee.

"Axel," I pushed him off.

"Tell him I said hi!"

"Yeah, yeah."

Axel was sending me info about some chat room and inviting me to talk later if I got bored. Olette also sent me a message inviting me to stay at her house tomorrow night.

"Hey dad?" I asked. He was frowning at a hot tub, and looking at the buttons.

"Yeah?"

"Can I stay over at Olette's tomorrow?"

He gave me a look. "It's almost Thanksgiving, Roxas."

"Yeah but I never see her when I'm at school."

"Fine as long as you tell mom. And don't give her any grandchildren yet."

"Yeah right," I muttered.

When I told her, she looked like she wanted to cry; I felt bad, but I was determined to go. I had already had enough of this place.

That night, I did find Axel online.

_Roxas82 has logged in_

_HotFlames: Hi Roxie!_

_Roxas82: Seriously? Ur name_

_HotFlames: Don't you love it? I had it as something else earlier but I didn't wanna offend you ;)_

_Roxas82: It sounds stupid_

_HotFlames: So mean :(_

_Roxas82: I try_

_HotFlames: How's your family?_

_Roxas82: Eh. How do I make this chat stop booping?_

I was laying on my bed with my laptop on me, the room completely dark. Everyone else was asleep, so I had headphones on full blast. The annoying beeping noises were interrupting my music, and often too because Axel was replying quickly.

_HotFlames: Hit options and mute it._

_Roxas82: Alright got it_

_HotFlames: Sorry about my mom_

_Roxas82: She doesn't seem like your mom_

_HotFlames: She's a lawyer_

_Roxas82: Makes sense_

_HotFlames: Anyway, I was supposed to stay with Demyx but got dragged here_

_Roxas82: That sucks_

_HotFlames: Tell me about it. What have you been up to?_

_Roxas82: Hanging out with Sora_

_HotFlames: Sexy_

_Roxas82: You weirdo_

_HotFlames: Kidding :p we should find a way to go back to school early_

_Roxas82: They're so strict tho_

_HotFlames: We could live in my car_

_Roxas82: No_

_HotFlames: Yes!_

_Roxas82: No_

_HotFlames: Aww you make me cry Roxie_

_Roxas82: I doubt that_

_HotFlames: Why does your family bug you so much?_

_Roxas82: I dunno. They seem so fake._

_HotFlames: Fake?_

My fingers were hovering above the keyboard when suddenly arms were squeezing my torso. I threw my headphones off, staring at Sora. He beamed at me, lying next to me and hugging me. "Shit you scared me," I muttered.

"Is that Axel?" He shoved his face near my screen.

"Yeah, yeah," I pushed him away.

"Hi!"

_Roxas82: Sora says hi_

_HotFlames: Hey Sora_

"What are you doing in here?" I asked.

"I couldn't sleep," he pouted.

"You're not sleeping in here."

He fell silent, playing with a loose string on my blanket. He twirled it around his finger a few times, then said, "You always accept me, huh?"

"You know I do."

"Alright." Twirl twirl. "Oh so I am going to graduate from high school early! And go to school with you next semester!"

"What?" I set my laptop aside for the moment, staring at him. "Really?"

"Yep!"

I knew he was smart, and I knew he missed me..but I did not expect this. "But why? Don't you want to graduate with all your friends?"

"I'll say bye," he shrugged.

"What about the big graduation ceremony?"

"I want to go to school with you!"

"I know that but," I shook my head. "Are you s_ure_?"

"Yes!" he shrieked, hugging me again. I hugged him back this time, confused. My brother was so weird.

"Is it because dad?" I said finally.

Sora let go of me, looking away. "He's alright. He buys me a lot of games."

I snorted. "That man buys everything."

He giggled, then added quietly, "I don't like him that much."

"But you like everyone," I argued, because it was true.

"I mostly like you!" He tackled me, and I made a frantic grab at my computer so I wouldn't land on it.

We half wrestled until I managed to get him off. Sora smiled at me; I could just barely make him out in the dark now that my laptop was closed. I did miss hanging out with my brother, even though he was a little crazy and goofy. And before I went to school, he would sneak into my room about once a month, so this was pretty normal. We'd either talk, or he'd drag me off to do something with him. On occasion, he slept in my bed, but that was only when one of us was really really upset. We had each other, if no one else. Sora was pretty close to my mom, although that seems to have changed; I could only blame my dad. He hadn't become a different person, not quite. His actions were different, however, and it affected everything. Mom was more quiet and she would do anything to please her husband. Poor Sora probably felt alone here.

I coped with it by holing up in my room most of the time.

Sora shifted and I glanced over at him. He leaned forward, kissing my cheek.

"I'm your brother, you know."

"I know!" he said happily. "If you weren't, maybe I would have kissed you on the lips."

I punched his arm. "You'd better not."

He laughed, jumping off the bed. "How's Axel?"

"He's fine," I said slowly. Oh shit, he's probably still online. I yanked my laptop towards me, opening it. The light made my eyes sting.

_HotFlames: Helloooo?_

_HotFlames: I see how it is_

_HotFlames: You think Sora is cooler than me! :c_

Sora hovered in my doorway. "He's a nice guy."

"He's a moron," I snorted.

"Night night!" He hopped away.

_Roxas82: Sorry my brother is distracting_

_HotFlames: I was about to get off_

_Roxas82: Bedtime already? :p_

_HotFlames: It's only 12!_

By the time we stopped talking, it was three in the morning. I settled into my bed, yawning.


	12. What

The microwave began to beep, indicating the end of its cycle. Olette pulled the plate out, offering it to me. A stack of s'mores sat on it, the marshmallow oozing off the cracker already.

I took a bite, savoring the flavor. "What do you want to do next?" she asked. "Horror movies? Paint our nails and gossip?"

I batted at her arm. "Very funny."

Olette giggled. "We haven't hung out like this in so long."

"I know huh." I leaned against her counter, sending a text to Axel.

"Will you get off your phone?!" She tackled me, yanking the phone out of my hand.

"Hey!" I grabbed it back, accidently getting some marshmallow on it. Whoops.

As I wiped it off, we walked to her living room and sat around on the couches. I loved her house; it was always warm and welcoming, and it wasn't too big like mine.

We watched two movies before she started to fall asleep. The TV was showing a torture scene when I glanced over at her. She was curled up next to the armrest, her eyes shut and her chest moving up and down slowly. I tip toed into the hallway and grabbed a blanket from the closet there, settling it gently over her.

Unfortunately I wasn't tired yet. I pulled the footrest out and stretched. I settled in to text and watch the end of the movie.

I dreaded going back home. Just a few more days, I told myself over and over again, as I waited for Axel to text me back.

Shifting a bit, my shoulder fell lower onto the cushions and I yawned. Of course, the next thing I knew sunlight was in my eyes and my phone was buzzing. My mom had called 3 times.

"Hey."

"Roxas!" I winced. Her voice was as bright and cheerful as a sunny day.

Olette had disappeared and the TV was off. "Yeah?"

"Aren't you coming home yet? Your aunt will be here any minute!"

"Yeah, yeah." I scratched my head.

"Ok, sweetie, see you soon."

I headed to the kitchen, where Olette was humming and flipping pancakes. "I have to leave," I said apologetically.

She gave me a small frown. "Eat breakfast first."

I responded with a cocky grin, lifting a pancake right off the stovetop, and taking a huge bite. It was gooey, hot and uncooked; I forced it down with a small cough.

Olette began laughing and I joined in. "Seriously I have to go. Family," I rolled my eyes.

"Alright, just finish that first." She gestured to the half pancake still in my hand.

I stuck my tongue out, and shoved it in. "If I get sick, you'll never hear the end of it."

Thanksgiving came and went. I hated every second. My family was…a weird mix. One side of the family was too loud, too drunk, and too into sports..and the other side was just like my parents. Too into appearances. They cooed over every new thing in the house, asking me over and over again about college. They would sip at their drinks, shooting dirty looks at whoever was shouting at the TV. Their eyes judged everything.

Sora halfway enjoyed himself, running around to each relative and talking about any little thing. Eventually him and one of our cousins vanished to play games. I bowed into my room after dinner, anxious to get away and maybe message Axel.

I kinda missed him. I mean, a little bit.

Going back to school was like heaven. My mom dropped me off, looking a little sad, and I bolted. I had managed to go through the whole break with minimal contact with my parents, and now I was back.

Axel was already in the room, shoving things in his drawers. "Hey," he straightened, smiling.

"Hey!" I was so happy I could hug him…which, he did anyway, looping his arms around my stomach and lifting me into the air. "Ok, ok, put me down," I laughed. Once my feet were back to safety, I called him an idiot.

"Aww, come on, you were happy to see me too."

"I'm happy to not be at home."

"How are you gonna survive summer vacation?"

"I won't," I said flatly.

"That's no good, Roxie." His bag laid opened on his bed, and he dug around it for a second. I simply shoved my stuff under the bed; I didn't really need it yet, and unpacking seemed like too much of a chore after my week.

Axel's voice dragged me out of my daydreams. "No," he said dramatically.

"What?"

"No," he repeated, holding something up for me to see.

"…organic peanut butter?" I raised my eyebrow.

"You take it."

He chucked it at me, and I fumbled it for a second before catching it. "You act like it's a bomb." I turned it over in my hands, examining it. "Kinda surprised I don't have this stuff at my house."

"Be glad. It's disgusting. All her health food is. You ever had wheatgrass?"

"No…"

"She drinks it every day."

"Eww," I muttered, opening the container and looking inside. "..is this supposed to be a liquid?"

"I know right!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands up.

"It smells weird too," I said, closing the jar.

"You can just throw it out. I don't know why she even put it in my bag."

"I have a better idea."

And that's how, after a short trip to the grocery store, we found ourselves in our tiny kitchen, staring at our creation. If it tastes bad, I blame Axel.

He had dumped the peanut butter into a large bowl, shooting me grins as he added an entire carton of cool whip. "I can't believe this was _your_ idea," he joked, now spooning some of the mix onto a chocolate poptart. He added another to make a sandwich, setting it on a plate then pouring a generous amount of chocolate syrup on top.

"Do you think it tastes good?" I asked skeptically.

"Of course!" he replied cheerfully, grabbing us two forks.

"You try it first."

"Alright," he shrugged, digging into the corner and bringing it up to his mouth. It was a sloppy mess and I was afraid that it would drip all over the floor.

…and it was shoved into my mouth. The metal of the fork scraped my teeth a tiny bit, and I jerked back, feeling the sweetness melt onto my tongue.

"You jerk," I hissed, swallowing hard and punching his arm.

He laughed. "You should've seen your face! So was it good?"

"Kinda. It's really sweet though."

Axel took a bite, chewing thoughtfully. "I like it. I'm very glad you managed to make this peanut butter edible." He gave me a giant smile, and I laughed.

"You have some chocolate on your nose."

"Oh." He blushed a tiny bit, and wiped it off. Turning away, he added, "Next time you can lick it off."

"You're so weird." I walked away, flopping down on my bed.

"Aren't you going to eat more?"

"No, it's too sweet."

"More for me." He brought it over, wolfing the thing down and wondering out loud what to do with the rest. The peanut butter cool whip mix was put into the fridge, to be used later, of course.

I was afraid that our silence would become awkward as we sat around; unsure of whether I should talk to him or just go do my own thing, I finally said, "We have class tomorrow."

Axel yawned. "I never would've guessed."

"Shut up," I muttered, sprawling onto my bed to reach around and grab my book.

Axel hopped over and stared down at me. I froze. I was laying on my back, my arms and legs at odd angles while my hand was barely clutched onto a paperback. My eyes met his, and I saw something there…

I guess he looked so _serious_, or…

A blush was creeping into my cheeks and the moment stretched. What the heck was he doing?

There was a movement, and it looked like he was reaching towards me. I closed my eyes, my heart pounding.

A thud startled me. "What?" I bolted straight up. Axel looked confused.

"You dropped your book." He picked it up off the floor, and handed it to me. "I'm gonna go, uh," he ran a hand through his hair, "meet up with Demyx for a bit. See ya later."

He was gone. And the same stupid scenario played out where I tried to read but all I could think of was Axel. Why does this always happen to me? Was everything a part of my imagination, or was Axel trying to…kiss me or touch me or something?

Tears sprang to my eyes, and the words of my novel became blurry. Shit.

Unsure of my emotions completely, I tossed the book aside and wiped my eyes furiously. "What are you thinking about, Roxas?" I asked out loud. Images—bad images—tried to surface, and I rushed to turn on Axel's Xbox.

The next weekend, while Axel was out, I snuck onto his Xbox again. It hadn't become a habit, at least not yet, but it helped my mind to relax. Even more than reading did, somehow; my go to had failed me, and I had turned to something that required less brain power. Unfortunately today Axel would get back earlier than usual.

"Did I say you could touch my stuff?" he teased, tossing his car keys onto the desk.

"Nope."

Axel laughed. "You don't care if you have my permission."

"That's right."

He crouched down next to me. "You have to be careful, Roxas."

"Why?" I finally glanced at him, and saw a playful smile dancing across his features.

"You're so defenseless!"

"I am not."

"Yes you are."

"I am _not,_" I insisted. "And what am I supposed to be defending myself from, exactly?"

"This." And he tackled me. We tumbled to the left and I gave a strangled yelp.

His fingers were grabbing at my sides, tickling me. "Oh my god," I said in-between laughs, my eyes watering, "stop. Stop!"

"Never!" Axel's legs were on the outside of mine, his face leaning towards me. He was looking far too gleeful at the fact that I couldn't breathe.

"Stopppp," I begged, my stomach already aching.

"Don't use my stuff without asking."

"Ok!"

"And?"

"And what?" I spat out. The second he stopped, he was dead.

"You have to tell me how awesome I am."

"..."

"What? You can't?" His hands stilled and he gave me a smile. "Awww, come on, Roxie."

"Please stop."

Eyes widened in false shock, of course. "What did you do with Roxas? He doesn't know that word."

"Shut up."

"Make me." Axel leaned forward even more until our faces were almost—but not quite—touching. If he moved any closer, my eyes would be unable to focus on him. Suddenly it was too hot and every nerve in my body appeared to be screaming. He was on top of me. His mouth was near mine. I could feel his breath!

I was still struggling to think clearly, when there came a loud knocking on the door. It jerked us to our senses and Axel pulled me to my feet. Whoever was there was in a hurry.

The knocking didn't stop until Axel answered the door. "Hey Riku."

Riku strode into the room. "You owe me."

"For what?"

"I brought you gas after that concert."

"Oh yeah."

Riku pointed straight at me. "You fix this."

"Fix what?" I asked.

"Talk to your dad."


End file.
